


Welcome to the (insane) world of Pokémon

by CaptainMoonShine



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dark, Mystery, Realistic, Self Insert, Shinou-chihou | Sinnoh Region (Pokemon)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-12
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:01:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 41
Words: 111,714
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27528073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainMoonShine/pseuds/CaptainMoonShine
Summary: Well, this is not what I expected, still not too surprising. I've seen too many of those self inserts and Isekai to be surprised. Still, how does one survive in the world of Pokémon? (Self Insert)
Comments: 45
Kudos: 154





	1. Summoned

**A/N:**

**Cross posted from Fanfiction.net**

**Its been quite a while since I've played Pokémon so if I get things wrong please don't shoot me.**

**Also, I do not own Pokémon.**

**Well, let's get the journey started.**

**This story will be dark, not overly but still darker than normal. Also, this story** **won't be a typical travel the world and beat the gyms story, it will focus more on the plot and action instead**

**Disclaimer: All names, places and events are fictional. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.**

**This is not a story for kids, so kids who read this are really cool.**

**Arc 1: New World**

**Chapter 1:**

**Summoned**

I knew it was a possibility.

I've read too many self insert fanfictions and seen too many Isakei anime to be surprised.

It was just so cliché, someone gets dragged into a world and has to survive. I was too familiar with it, so familiar that I promised myself that I wouldn't be surprised if it happened to me.

Not that I expect it to actually happen but still, I refuse to be surprised by such a thing.

So when I woke up in a random forest after falling asleep in my own bed I was not surprised.

I didn't waste time freaking out like a lot of other would people do, I didn't waste time suspecting I was dreaming either.

A quick glance at my hand showed that this was all very real.

If it were a dream my hand would look weird, it was a neat trick I learned from a lucid dreaming website.

"So, another world huh?" I muttered, going over myself.

I was not in my own body, my current skin was a bit too pale and I felt smaller.

I pulled a strand of hair from my head and saw it was blue. If I needed any more evidence that I was in another body this was it.

I did not have any memories of dying or getting hit by a truck so I could at least assume I was not in the afterlife.

I was in another body, did I hijack it?

The lack of house and family seemed to disprove that theory, though it did not exclude it.

I hope it was a new body or I had to deal with family members who "remembered" me.

That would be quite hard, it would give a few advantages but I also had to fake amnesia.

My new body seemed to be around my age, maybe a few years younger, I estimated my current self at 17 years old.

I glanced around, knowing what world I was in was one of the most important things.

There was a chance I was pulled into a world that was unknown to me, that would be a pain to deal with, not impossible but troublesome.

I looked for some obvious landmarks, I hoped for something recognizable like Hyrule Castle or the Avengers Tower.

All I saw were trees.

No clues there.

Luckily I saw something on top of the trees. It looked like a bird but it was bigger than any bird I've ever seen, it had a combination of black and white feathers.

I immediately recognized it.

"Staravia?" I muttered, the bird that sat atop the tree glanced dismissively at my direction, then it flapped its wings and flew away.

Okay this was an important discovery, couldn't ask for a more obvious one.

It seemed like I was in the Pokémon world, not too bad.

I mean sure, the world of Pokémon was filled with creatures who could tear me to pieces with a mere thought but it was doable. It had its own set of rules and was to some degree fair.

It could've been way worse, at least I was not transported to a world with insane power levels like WORM or DragonBall Z.

I was familiar with the world of Pokémon, I had seen a few episodes of the anime and played some of the games.

Though I knew next to nothing about Sun and Moon, same for Sword and Shield.

Did this world even feature Galar?

I glanced over my body, I kinda wished for a mirror.

I couldn't remember any important Pokémon characters with blue hair but still, it would be nice to know how I looked.

So Pokémon it was, now the next question was: Did I have any powers?

Most Isakei heroes who get transported to another world had some kind of superpower, I did not feel super strong or anything else.

I tried to summon a game menu but nothing really happened, same for trying to summon aura.

I might have a hidden power but I suspected that I ended up powerless.

Nice!

I checked my pockets, I wore some sleeveless blue shirt with a pokéball on it and some default looking pants.

Not even a backpack with items? That sucked.

I glanced around, I tried to decide where North was but quickly realized that it was futile.

In a world where there was a lion/sun pokemon the sky was no longer a reliable compass.

Did the sun even come up in the same place here?

Also, I had no idea where I was.

Like not at all.

A big forest meant not a lot of Pokémon, in fact I didn't even know in what region I was.

I just saw a Staravia, a gen4 Pokémon from the Sinnoh region if I was correct.

However this did not mean that I was in Sinnoh.

Pidgeys showed up in every region after Kanto even though they are from Generation 1.

If I remembered correctly, in the I choose you Pokémon movie they had all the later generations show up in the Kanto region.

Was I even in the anime? Was I in the game version?

I decided to leave those questions for later, there was no use to pondering about stuff I wouldn't get the answer to anytime soon.

Okay, first objective, escape the forest.

Seemed easy enough, unless I was stuck on one of those islands in Pokémon that were only meant to fill up the map.

No use in freaking out, I told myself and made a plan.

I took a look at the sun and decided to head in that direction, sure it might not be North but atleast I wouldn't walk around in a circle.

* * *

Turns out, the forest is huge.

Not that I expected anything else of a world like Pokémon but still, kinda annoyed me.

It meant that my poor legs had to carry me, not that I was out of shape or anything, my old body and my new body were quite in shape. It was just annoying.

The scenery was beautiful though, the air was fresher than you would find on our earth and seeing Pokémon everywhere was also neat.

I came across a Weedle and Wurmple and a lot more arthropods.

Seriously, there were a lot of them.

I saw a few bird Pokémon in the sky and even spotted one herd of Sawsbuck with a Deerling.

Most pokémon stayed out of my way luckily, they were skittish like real animals so that was at least something.

It would be quite embarrassing to be killed by a Wurmple on my first day in this world. Not impossible mind you, just really embarrassing.

The thing with Pokémon was that almost every creature was as deadly as a machine gun, worst in most cases.

Even a Weedle you would run away from in the game has poison and a stinger that could kill you with just a headbutt.

Not all Pokémon were this peaceful, the aforementioned Sawbuck made it clear to me that I had to stay away from the small Deerling.

I encountered a few Beedrill which I definitely did not want to meet, I made sure to make a wide arc around them.

Foremost the forest was not that bad, as long as you are not retarded I can imagine a child could walk around here without getting harmed.

It still soured me that I hadn't encountered any signs of civilization, I was getting a bit hungry and the forest was starting to get a bit hot.

Was there even a civilization? For all I know I was transported to Pokémon Mystery dungeon.

Now, that would be a letdown, not that I hated those games but I barely knew anything about them.

Just as I was pondering about my place in this universe I heard some fighting going on.

I turned around and heard growling behind the bushes, though it was not directed at me but at something else.

A Pokémon fight?

I heard more growling, followed by a whimper.

Should I check it out? Should I stay away from it?

I quickly considered all the possibilities, checking it out might give me more information about wherever I was or anything else. It came however at the risk of exposing myself, being the meek unpowered human I was it was quite dangerous.

Playing it safe or fulfilling my curiosity?

Curiosity killed the cat...but satisfaction brought it back.

I decided to check it out, I sneaked towards the bushes and saw that they led to a clearing.

The bush hid me from sight yet allowed me to see what was going on, nice!

I peeked over the bush and saw three brownish racoons like Pokémon growling at a smaller white humanoid figure.

Zigzagoon I remembered.

The three Zigzagoon were looming over a Ralts, growling and mockingly tossing it around.

The Ralts looked like it did in the anime and games, a weird human looking thingy with thin arms and weird that looked similar to a dress.

On its head there was a weird helmet/hair thingy that hid a large part of its face.

I took in the situation, the Zigzagoon were obviously toying with the Ralts who seemed to be in pain.

It painfully whined out its own name like all Pokémon did while the Zigzagoon were growling and mock biting at it.

It reminded me of the scene in which Professor Birch was being chased by a Zigzagoon and you had to choose a Pokémon to save him.

I always loved to pick a Pokémon as slow as possible while he was being chased.

However this was the real world now and in front of me was a Pokémon being hurt.

I could just walk away, pretending I did not see it.

I mean, it's just Darwin at his finest right? The strong prey on the weak and I had nothing to do with it.

What could I even do? I did not have a Pokémon nor did I possess any powers.

Still, the Zigzagoon were mercilessly bullying the Ralts, it tried to fight back but it seemed to be helpless.

A purple ray shot out of its forehead but it was slow, the Zigzagoon closest to it dodged it with ease and it laughed, or as close as a racoon could get to laughing.

Did the Ralts just try to use confusion?

Whatever the Ralts did it took a lot of energy from it, its shoulders slumped and it fell to the ground again.

"I should walk away." I whispered to myself, trying to convince myself to do the wise thing.

Still, one glance at the Ralts and I knew I couldn't walk away.

I blame my bleeding heart.

Okay, so how to save the Ralts?

Nothing came to my mind, I had literally nothing on me except my clothes and I was not even in possession of a bug Pokémon.

Thanks whatever force brought me to this world!

Time to do something stupid.

I braced myself and focused on the scene before me.

Though I was a human I still had my own body, it wouldn't uphold in a Pokémon battle but maybe it could still function as a surprise attack.

Deciding it was now or never I charged forward.

A branch swung into my face but I ignored the sting and jumped out of the bushes, all three Zigzagoon turned to me.

No time to lose, knowing full well that they could take me out with a quick attack, I kicked away the first one closest to me before it could fully realize what was going on.

My foot met his side and he was kicked away like a football.

It was surprisingly heavy for such a small creature.

It crashed into a tree with a loud thud that even made the tree shake.

Before the other two Zigzagoon could react I knelt down, grabbed the Ralts in one sweep and ran like hell.

I sprinted through the treeline and prayed to Arceus that the Zigzagoon would decide I was not worth the effort of chasing.

While running I took a quick glance behind me and knew that Arceus was not feeling benovelent today.

All three Zigzagoon were chasing me, a mad furry written on their faces.

I yelped and ran harder, ducking under tree branches and jumping over obstacles.

The little Ralts in my arms, who was surprisingly light, muttered its own name and looked up at me, red eyes met mine and confusion was written on its face.

"Ralts?" It asked.

"Hang on buddy!" I said, not having any idea what the Ralts just said, "We're almost to safety."

According to the Pokédex and anime they had empathetic powers.

I really hoped that it would understand that I'm not trying to harm it, or it would try to attack me.

"Ralts." The Ralts said, sounding like it doubted my statement. I decided to interpret it as encouragement.

Around me I saw Pokémon moving away from my path, making it clear none of them felt helpful.

One of the Zigzagoon came closer to my feet, I managed to kick it away without turning around.

A cry followed and I smiled.

At Least I could still kick things in my new body, though I doubted that it would be anything more than a minor setback.

"Ralts!" The Ralts in my arms yelled and pointed its tiny arm at my right side.

One of the Zigzagoon was running parallel to me through the treeline, it leaped towards me, opening its mouth and revealing a nice row of teeth I did not want to meet.

I ducked underneath it just in time and the Zigzagoon crashed into the ground having a giga impact.

Get it? Giga Impact?

Before I could cheer over my takedown the last Zigzagoon suddenly disappeared.

I only had time to wonder 'where did it go?' before he slammed right into my side.

Quick attack, that was just unfair.

It felt like someone had punched me in the gut and I almost tripped.

I cursed and brought my hand down on the Zigzagoon's head like a hammer.

It did lack the impact of a hammer, but it fell to the ground anyway.

I ran, I did not even attempt to fight that hacking freak of nature.

I made a wide turn left and disappeared into the bushes, hoping I could shake them off.

If I could get away alive I consider it a win.

* * *

After running for 10 minutes straight I decided that I was safe, or as safe as I could get in a world filled with Pokémon.

When I no longer saw or heard any of the Zigzagoon I slowed my pace and came to a halt.

"Ralts?" The Ralts said, sounding a bit better than before.

I let out a sigh of relief and gracefully fell to the ground of exhaustion,

I dropped the Ralts at my feet while I tried to catch my breath.

"Ralts?" Ralts repeated its question.

"Yeah, they're gone." I answered, glad that the Ralts did not immediately kill me.

"Ralts." It said again.

"No idea what you actually say," I told the Ralts, it was looking at me with a questioning gaze.

"Ralts." it repeated.

"Are you okay?" I asked, I was almost sure that it could understand me. The anime and the games showed that Pokémon were able to understand human language...which was quite unfair for humans but there's not a lot you can do about it.

"Ralts." The Ralts said, nodding its tiny head.

"I take that for a yes." I concluded satisfied.

Now, that was a good deed done for the day, although now I had no idea where I was or where to go.

Not that I knew before but the idea I did was nice.

Well, at least I had my first heroic moment in this new world.

Step 1 of becoming a generic self insert completed.

Next step, discover I have a broken power and become the most important person in the world.

I looked at the little creature in front of me, "So you have any idea where we are?"

"Ralts." It said, sounding a bit confused.

"Know any town nearby? A city?"

The Ralts shook its head.

"Well, that makes the two of us." I said and silently cursed. I was getting hungry and a bit tired.

Having someone show up conveniently now would be amazing.

I glanced at the sky, nothing.

"Seems like I'm still stuck here." I said out loud, I glanced at the Ralts who was still staring at me intensely.

I looked back into its red eyes...what to do?

I could pull an Ash, considering that I just saved a Pokémon.

If I were an anime protagonist the Ralts would join my team, all the clichés were there.

I blinked, it wouldn't be that easy right?

It can't be that easy.

"Hey," I said, the Ralt's face perked up, "Want to join me? Travel the world, become the very best and so on?"

Not my best speech but I rather wanted to be honest with the Ralts.

Especially since it was a psychic Pokémon who could later read minds if I was correct.

The Ralts tilted it head, and stared back at me.

It became an awkward staring contest and I considered telling it that it was okay to say no but to my surprise it gave me a firm nod along with a happy "Ralts!".

"You really want to go with the person you just met?" I asked a bit skeptical, however the Ralts nodded again showing no hesitation.

"God," I groaned, "This is so cliché."

"RALTS!" Ralts cheered.

* * *

**A/N**

**So that's the premise, please leave a review and I'll** **Cya!**

**-CaptainMoonShine-**


	2. Gender Reveal

**A/N Thanks for the Kudos you all!**

**Chapter 2:**

**Gender reveal**

When the wild Ralts agreed to join I expected something to happen.

Maybe a cheerful "Ralts joined your team!" pop up, or maybe some kind of flashy effect.

Nothing happened, not even a sound effect.

Ralts looked quite satisfied with it's agreement, bobbing its tiny head. Or maybe it was just looking around, hard to say.

"So," I began to start my conversation with my newly acquired Pokémon, "Do you know how to battle? Got any good moves or hidden OP protagonist powers?"

Ralts titled its head, confusion written all over its face.

"Raaaalts?" It asked.

"Do you know how to battle right?" I asked, again.

"Ralts?" It repeated with the same intonation.

I still had no idea how to Pokéspeak. I decided to interpret it as a "No".

"You decided to join me without even knowing a single thing about battling and just having me me?"

Ralts nodded excitedly, guess the Stockholm syndrome kicks in quite faster than I thought. To be fair though, I wouldn't want to spend any longer in this God forsaken forest either.

Or was it Arceus? Helix? Whatever.

"Okay, how to explain a Pokémon battle?" I wondered out loud, glorified dogfights with all the participants having superpowers?

"Ralts?"

"Well," I began, "Pokemon like you team up with a human to fight each other, the Pokémon fight while the humans give them commands from the sidelines." I tried to explain the concept as honest and basic as possible, I wouldn't want to force a Pokémon into battling.

"Ralts Ralts?" It sounded like a question.

I decided to interpret it as "Go on, tell me more about it.". "Well, they do it because they like it, there is also fame and money. The Pokémon themselves seem to enjoy it too, I guess its because they like to become stronger."

Or it's because they're all masochists.

I decided not to share that perspective.

"Ralts, Ralts?" It pointed at himself and then at me.

I really needed Ralts to learn telepathy or something, guessing the definition of "Ralts" every time was bound to cause some confusion. There was a chance Ralts was talking about the weather while I was monologuing like a crazy person.

"Yeah," I went on with my hopefully-not-monologue. "We would be a team, trying to beat the Gyms and challenge the league. Become the very best like no one ever was."

Ralts stared at me.

"Sorry," I chuckled, "Inside joke. You wouldn't get it."

"Anyway," I awkwardly tried to carry the conversation, "That's my short term plan. Assuming I don't die on my way to finding civilization. Still want to join now you know what is required of you?"

I was a bit unsure, I had expected that all Pokémon would understand the concept of battling, apparently they did not.

After a scary silence Ralts surprised me with saying a cheerful "Ralts Ralts Ralts!"

I was 90% sure it was a yes.

"Well, that's nice." I let out a sigh of relief. At least I was not alone in this weird and very dangerous world.

"So...what attacks do you know? Got some special moves?"

Ralts nodded and walked towards a tree trunk, it took a pose in front of, retracted its hand and gave it a Falcon Punch…minus the fire, shouting and being effective.

"Ralts?" Ralts titled its head and gave me a confused look when it noticed my lack of reaction.

I tried to approach it carefully, "You know any Psychic or Fairy moves?"

I remembered Ralts being a Psychic type, although they later made it into a Fairy/Psychic hybrid.

Ralts gave the tree bark a weak kick and fell on its butt.

I sighed, well it did explain how it got harassed by the three Zigzagoon. I saw it use a Psychic move back there but it seemed weak. Was it a newly learned move?

"Silly," I smiled at Ralts, "You're not a close ranger fighter."

"Ralts?" Ralts turned to me. "Ralts Ralts Ralts?"

A new record...4 Ralts in one sentence.

"You're not supposed to fight someone close," I explained, "You're a long range fighter, a mage, blaster or zoner. Whatever you call it, fighting close is not your style. You strike from far away and avoid physical combat."

"Ralts…" Ralts answered thoughtfully.

Still no idea what that means.

I began considering how I should train Ralts...unless, a thought popped up. Ralts had two final forms, Galade and Gardevoir.

Gardevoir was a so called zoner but Galade was a melee fighter with his Fighting/Psychic type.

I hadn't considered that.

"Hey Ralts," I began awkwardly, "Quick question. Are you a boy or a girl?"

Ralts froze, it gasped and stared at me. Eyes widened, shock written on its white face.

"Uh…" I muttered, feeling I had just said the wrong thing. Just had to figure out what part of what I said was wrong.

"RRRRAAAALLLTS!" It said accusingly, its voice filled with disbelief.

"A boy?" I guessed, 50% chance I was right.

"RAALTS!" It yelled, sounding angry?

"A girl?" I guessed for the second time. Ralts stared angrily at me.

"A girl!" I said, "You're a girl of course."

Well that it did explain a few things.

"Ralts!" She said angrily.

I groaned, "I'm sorry, Should've known."

Not really, I mean what was the difference between a male and female Ralts anyway? However admitting my fault seemed to be a better idea than arguing with her.

Ralts stepped forward and gave me a weak kick. However due to her size she didn't even reach my thighs.

"Ralts Ralts Ralts Ralts." she muttered.

"Look," I said, "I'm really sorry for mistaking your gender."

Ralts stared at me and began muttering in her own weird language, it sounded like she was complaining.

"Come on," I cried, "What do I have to do to show I'm sorry?"

* * *

I learned a few things about Ralts, first off she really needed to work on her almost non existent move set. Second, she did not appreciate being mistaken for a boy and lastly, she enjoyed riding on my shoulders.

She had a satisfied smile on her face as she sat on top of my shoulders, cheerfully bobbing her head back and forth.

At least she had stopped complaining and guilt tripping me.

And I really didn't mind giving her a ride, she was not that heavy and it allowed me to think and ignore all the red flags.

Ralts would evolve into a Kirlia and after that into a Gardevoir. Right now she was still underleveled.

If this were the game I would simply take her to the first patch of grass and grind until I was 15 levels above the wild grass Pokémon.

Sadly this wouldn't work and I had to do it the hard way.

Assuming we would even be able to escape this forest, craft a believable backstory, get enough money to even start an adventure and not straight up die from starvation. Haha, gotta stay positive.

Still, Ralts was a good starter and she seemed determined to do her best, also she was a Psychic which was in my opinion one of the best types. Maybe not in the game but now? It was a blessing.

It was not a powerful perse but it was versatile. I could play with the possible strategies it provided. For example a Fire type was pretty straightforward with what it could do while a Psychic could fuck you over a thousand different ways.

I of course will use every exploit and loophole I can find to cheat the system.

Also, black holes!

According to the Pokédex Gardevoir creates black holes to protect her trainer. Fucking black holes, in case you don't understand that would be like bringing a nuke to school because your sister is being bullied.

Would I want that kind of power? Hell yeah!

"Ralts!" Ralts said, I really should find a nickname for her.

"What?" I asked absentmindedly, "You're saying I should find a Pikachu and spam down-B?"

"Ralts!" She insisted and she pulled a strand of my hair.

I looked up and saw the white humanoid pointing forward with its weird hand thingy.

I stopped moving and froze.

I heard sounds coming from ahead, was that coughing?

I looked up at Ralts and she looked troubled.

I walked towards a tree and hid beneath it, trying to be as silent as possible.

I knelt down and grabbed Ralts from my shoulder and put her down.

She had a nervous look on her face.

She stared at the tree we hid behind, a second later I realized she was sensing something in that direction.

Empathy, I remembered, was one of Ralts abilities.

If I were correct she was able to sense emotions from humans and Pokémons.

I had totally forgotten about it.

After a silent 10 seconds someone passed through the clearing we were just walking through. I took a quick peak and saw something you don't want to see on your first day in the world of Pokémon.

A Team Rocket grunt.

He wore the typical black Team Rocket outfit and looked stereotypically evil.

He was just passing by though, it seemed like he was heading towards something judging by the fact that he did not even bother to look at his surroundings.

He had a Pokéball attached to his belt, though I saw he had no Pokémon out.

I held my breath and luckily Ralts was smart enough to stay silent.

It seemed that Ralts had detected the Rocket grunt before he was even in sight. This meant that her Empathy was not limited by sight and could potentially be used to detect our opponents location.

Did it work as a radar or something? If it did it could be used to track down Pokémon who were using Smokescreen and Dig.

Hyper Awareness of the opponent's position could be a huge advantage against Pokémon who liked to strike from the shadows.

It required more research though, test the limits and see how we could apply them.

Putting those thoughts away I considered what to do.

"Ralts?" Ralts asked unsure.

"That was a Team Rocket grunt." I replied, "He works for Team Rocket, an organization who abuse Pokémon to further their own goals. They're evil."

Did this mean I was in Kanto? Or Johto?

For all I know I could be in Galar and this was some stuff that was hidden beneath the lines, best not to make assumptions.

"Did you sense his emotions?" I asked Ralts, she nodded and shivered.

"Was it bad?"

She nodded.

"Well, what do you think we should do?" I asked, "We could try to find out what he is doing here. Though it could be dangerous. Or we stay away and spend more time looking for a town."

"Ralts?"

If it were a video game it would be easy, go after Team Rocket however I did lack any real resources. On the other hand, wasting more time in this forest was also not preferable.

Ralts must have sensed what I was thinking because she pointed into the direction the grunt had gone.

"Okay," I said, "Warn me if we get close."

Ralts nodded and narrowed her eyes like she was focusing on something.

Together we followed the trail as silent as possible. I almost stepped on a Weedle which freaked me out more than it should've but I managed to keep my screams internal.

After a solid 10 minutes of playing Metal Gear solid in the woods we found what we were looking for.

In a clearing someone had set up a large tent, though it looked more like a small villain lair than a tent.

Ignoring the big red R on the side it seemed to be stacked with stuff one would need to survive and technology.

I saw Pokéballs lying on the floor along with a few empty birdcages.

Everything here screamed. "Team Rocket Outpost."

Why did they even put a big R on the side of the tent? Were they really that determined in branding themselves?

My eyes widened as I saw an antenna sticking out of a device that suspiciously looked like a radio.

Bingo.

If I could use it I could contact the police and escape this damn forest.

The question was...how could I do that without dying?

**A/N Still trying to figure out how Archive of Our Own works...  
**

**As always please review and such 'cause reading reviews does put a smile on my face.**

**-CaptainMoonShine-**


	3. Team Rocket

**A/N The third chapter already. I hope you all enjoy**

**Chapter 3** **:**

**Team Rocket**

The Team Rocket grunt paced back and forth in front of the tent, eating what seemed to be a sandwich.

It made me feel jealous, I shouldn't feel jealous but it looked so delicious and after being stuck in this forest for hours I was more than hungry.

Add another hour for planning our master plan.

"So you understand the plan?" I asked Ralts, I mean most plans start with a sentence like this so I felt I had to follow the cliché for good luck.

"Ralts." she confirmed, or I hoped it was a confirmation.

"Remember to keep him distracted."

Ralts nodded again and I walked away from her, making sure to stay out of the Team Rocket's grunt sight.

I counted the seconds and after 30 seconds like we had planned Ralts stepped out of the bush and yelled "Ralts!"

The team Rocket grunt stared at Ralts, his right hand went down to his belt where he had a Pokéball.

Before he could reach it Ralts sent out a ray of purple energy.

Confusion, one of Ralts moves.

I had seen her use it against one of the Zigzagoon (though it wasn't very effective...pun not intended) and I asked her to do it again.

Turns out, she could do the move but it was really slow and the beam was really small.

Still, it was good enough for our scrappy plan.

The beam Ralts shot was not good, in fact even the Team Rocket grunt could dodge it.

Ralts did it again and the man was forced to move before he could reach for his Pokéball.

Ralts spammed the move for a third time and the man was about to move again but a second ray was already on its way to the grunt.

Good Ralts, I thought fondly, never let someone tell you spamming is bad.

Before Ralts could send her fifth (or was six already?) Confusion ray I hit the man in the back of his head with a blunt stone I found on the ground.

He was distracted by my little spamming Ralts and he didn't notice me going full ninja mode and sneaking around him.

Sure, the plan was not that difficult. It was a simple distraction-and-strike plan but the Team Rocket grunt now lying on the ground was definitely proof that simple plans could work.

"Ralts!" Ralts walked towards the man and kicked him in the face.

I knelt down and checked the vital signs to see if he was still alive.

I felt a heartbeat and let out a sigh of relief.

He was still alive.

"Ralts?" Ralts asked, probably sensing my insecurity.

"Just checked if he's alive, luckily for him he is." I answered.

I took his Pokéball and checked his pockets. I found a stylish pocket knife and decided to take it for myself.

I was a protagonist after all, if Link was allowed to walk into a random house and smash all the pots to get some Rupees I was allowed to steal from a thug.

"Johnathan!" A female voice yelled behind us.

That moment I cursed Arceus and Dialga for the horrible timing and I cursed Fate for fucking me over.

Ralts and I had been watching the tent with the grunt for over an hour. He didn't do much more than walk around and generally be lazy.

Ralts didn't sense anyone else beside him so I had assumed he was alone, probably a solo mission I had thought.

However Johnathan was not as alone as I thought.

Behind us stood a woman in a Team Rocket outfit, I would spend time describing her but honestly she seemed to be a boring background character to me.

Also, she had thrown a Pokéball in front of her and that was a bit more concerning than her appearance.

Shit.

Ralts being the powerful Psychic she stepped forward and prepared to defend her trainer...nah, she did not.

Instead she timidly hid behind me and stared fearfully at the woman in front of me.

"Ralts!" She exclaimed fearfully and grabbed my left leg, although I appreciated the affection it did limit my movement.

A bright flash came out of the Pokéball and the cry of a Pokémon followed.

Two seconds later a Raticate stood in front of us, it must have been feeling bad emotions because Ralts even pulled even tighter on my leg.

The Team Rocket woman grinned evilly at me because why not.

"I'm gonna make you pay for what you did to Johnathan!" She screamed even though I wasn't standing that far from her.

Was she related to Johnatan, were they in a relationship? Did I care?

Not really, considering she was a villain and she was bound to have some kind of monologue. I could maybe ask what Team Rocket was doing here but honestly I wanted to leave this forest as fast as I could.

I was more worried about the Raticate in front of her. Even though Raticate was not really a powerful Pokémon in the game he was here powerful enough.

Rattata evolved into Raticate at level 20 and even though I doubted that this world had levels like the videogames it still showed that this Raticate was a threat to consider.

Even if Ralts was willing to battle I estimated her level 5 or something. She was no match for this Raticate.

Also fun fact, it's fangs are strong enough to topple concrete buildings! Haha, now that's something I want to avoid.

However the situation was bad, Ralts was too scared and too underleveled to battle and this woman was about to sic her overgrown rodent on me.

How to salvage this situation? I made a mental inventory of everything I could use, a Pocket knife in my back pocket, wouldn't do much good against a Pokémon. A Ralts who is too scared and a stone which would not even leave a scratch on the Raticate.

How to solve this?

I stared at the rock in my hand, if I could...no, that wouldn't work right?"

I smirked at the woman, "You know that your boss is lying right? He never showed up at the meeting."

The woman was startled, I was bullshitting but it worked.

I had her attention.

Before she could interrupt me I went on with bullshitting.

"Don't worry. We are right now-" mid sentence I raised my hand and threw the stone at the woman full force.

If it were an anime I would scream something heroic but I didn't.

The thing with people is that when you start a sentence they expect you to finish it. It's a conditioned habit to let people finish what they're saying. If you stop in the middle of a sentence the other person will most likely be distracted by his own expectations.

Or I hoped she would, the woman didn't even blink when the stone hit her face. The stone hit her with a thud and the eyes rolled back in her head and she fell to the ground.

Huh, that worked.

Talking about hitting two grunts with one stone...get it?

"RALTS!" Ralts screamed while shaking my leg violently, shaking me up from my thoughts.

Just in time, a silver flash appeared in front of my face and I raised my arm to protect my eyes.

A silver fang tore through my skin and a second later a blinding pain flooded through my nerves.

The Raticate had jumped towards me and had tried to tore my face open with its oversized fang. The facts that I still had eyes were due to the fact that I raised my arm just in time.

Still hurts like a motherfucker,

My entire lower left arm was ripped open and looked like someone had slashed a knife through it. Blood streamed out of it through the ripped flesh and I felt a sick combination of a numbness and blinding pain that shouldn't be possible.

"RALTS RALTS!" Ralts yelled panicked.

Raticate prepared to make another jump, wild fury on its face.

I don't know what I had thought, maybe that Raticate wouldn't attack me if its trainer was knocked out. Welp, that did not happen.

Now I had to deal with it and it was looking grim. I couldn't move my left arm and even looking at it made me want to throw up.

I could barely even stand, let alone defend myself or my Ralts but I had to. I still had a small Ralts to protect and a I was a damn dimension traveler! I refuse to die to an overgrown Mickey Mouse.

With my functioning arm I reached for my pocket knife but I was too slow. Raticate lunged for me a second time. I gritted my teeth and prepared to strike with my good arm, hoping I could maybe sucker punch him, when a purple ray slammed into Raticate midair and smashed it into the ground.

"Ralts!" an angry yell followed.

Did Ralts just save me?

The beam had been bigger than when she had attacked the grunt. The beam had also struck way faster. Raticate was now lying on the ground, it was mostly undamaged but it seemed to have trouble moving.

Was it confused?

Confusion had a 10% chance of causing the Confusion effect.

Raticate was trying to move but every move seemed to take a huge effort, like it had a massive headache.

Raticate was out of it but for how long?

"Ralts!" Ralts urged, sounding desperate.

She pointed at the Raticate.

I know, I have to do something but what?

I considered grabbing the pocket knife but that wouldn't neutralize it, I could try to kill it as a last resort but I didn't dare putting myself in its attacking range. I spotted the Pokéball the woman had thrown.

I made a dash for it, grabbed it with my good arm and pointed the surprisingly large Pokéball at the Raticate and pressed the button in the middle.

A red beam came out of the Pokéball, much like in the anime, and shot towards the Raticate. It enveloped it and a second later the Raticate disappeared.

That moment I could drop to the floor and fall asleep, the pain in my arm had subsided and I was feeling numb all over my body.

"Ralts Ralts Rarara Ralts!" Ralts said as she ran towards me, dragging her weird dress thing over the floor. Where those tears in her eyes?

No time for that, I'm bleeding out and I need medical attention.

"Ralts," I said matter-of-factly "Keep an eye on those two will ya? If they wake up, knock them out with Confusion!"

"Ralts Ralts RaRalts!" she said panicked.

"Just do it please," I pleaded, "I'm going to make a call."

With those brave words I walked towards the tent.

I stepped over trash that the Team Rocket grunt had left behind and made my way towards the radio.

Now how to operate this thing?  
It was hard to keep myself focused, I really had some thoughts I wanted to evaluate. Ralts sudden boost in power, the question if I would unlock a secret power now I needed it and if I was anywhere close to a hospital.

The numbness from my arm began to spread throughout my body and I knew it was a bad sign.

The radio looked exactly like one of my earth did, nothing to fancy.

I turned it on and grabbed the mic, only to be remembered I couldn't use my left arm. I put it down again and went through the channels, trying to find an occupied broadcast.

After skimming through a few empty channels I finally came across a conversation.

It seemed to be a woman and a guy talking about wild Pidgey behaviour in the Sinnoh region.

I interrupted the conversation like a civilized person.

"Guys," I said and the two voices went quiet. "I'm kinda in a tough situation…"

Oh so sleepy. I wanted to lie down and...no I had to stay awake.

Outside Ralts gave me a wary look but she kept guarding the two unconscious grunt on the ground like she had promised.

Good girl.

"Who is this?"

"Look," I groaned, "I'm bleeding out and I need medical attention. I came across a Team Rocket outpost and I'm wounded."

The woman went serious immediately, "Where are you? We'll send help."

Well at least someone was being useful today.

No that was not fair towards Ralts, I had to focus.

"I don't know…" I answered.

"How can we help you if we don't know where you are?" A deep man's voice asked. It sounded like he was annoyed with my presence and wanted to keep talking about Pidgey.

"Fucking tringulate the signal!" I yelled, why did I yell?

I felt myself getting more dizzy and dizzy.

"We'll call the police for you, they'll be able to trace you." The woman responded professionally. "Please stay on the line so we can trace the signal."

"Okay," I answered and turned to Ralts leaving the radio on. Feeling like I had only a few seconds left before I would fall into the sweet grasp of sleep...or death.

"Ralts," I said, "People will show up to help me...I hope. Don't attack them okay?"

"Ralts?" She tilted her head, worried and confused at the same time.

"Don't worry," I said, "I'm only going to black out."

I flashed her my best I'm-definitely-not-about-to-die smile.

And just like that unconsciousness took me over.

If I die, would I appear in another world?

That thought ran through my mind as I was blacking out.

Or maybe I would respawn and do a Re:Zero. Replay the entire day.

I managed to groan while blacking out.

Please, let me not go through all that bullshit again.

And I blacked out.

**-CaptainMoonShine-**


	4. Black Out

**Chapter 4:**

**Black Out**

* * *

"Find me." The voice was female, although I could barely make it out. It was due to the fact that the voice was not human or anything even close to human.

Vague and cryptic, I thought sarcastically, not really a lot I could work with.

The real question was if I would remember this when I woke up instead of conveniently forgetting it.

It would be illogical to tell me to find someone if I wouldn't remember it later. On the other hand, beings/entities/Pokémon/Gods who summoned people from another world were not known for making smart choices.

Me being a perfect example of that.

* * *

I was like 99% sure that I wouldn't be waking up in the same place I blacked out.

No, I would either open my eyes and find myself in some heavily guarded containment cell or I would wake up in a hospital.

Fate demanded it, there has never been a protagonist who blacked out and didn't wake up in a new scenery. Okay, maybe there was but you get my point.

When I woke up I didn't show any signs of it. I kept my eyes shut and breathing steady.

My first goal was to gather as much information as I could.

I felt myself lying on something soft, was that a pillow? It felt like one.

So I was no longer in the forest, Arcues thank you for the small miracles.

I also didn't feel a blinding pain in my arm anymore, in fact I felt refreshed.

Whoever took me had either been the nicest villain ever or the people on the radio had managed to get me some help in time.

"Ralts!" a cheerful cry came from above me.

Before I could even open my eyes something hugged my chest really tight and kept yelling "Ralts!"

I wonder who it could be.

I opened my eyes and spotted a green haired creature hugging me.

I lifted my right arm and hugged her back, "Hey little one." I said, my voice sounding hoarse.

"Ralts Ralts RaRaRalts." she muttered while hugging me.

Damn, that's a new record. I think she was doing the whole oh-you-almost-died-and-I-missed-you-so-much speech.

However after her speech she stopped trying to squeeze me to death and looked me in the eyes. She then slapped me and yelled "Ralts!"

It sounded vaguely accusing.

"Hey," I protested, "How was I supposed to know that there was a second one?"

"Ralts!" she said and I had no idea what it meant this time.

After that she began hugging my chest again, how cliché could it get?

I petted my Ralts on her head. "Don't worry, we are still alive."

While my Ralts kept trying to merge with my chest I took a good look around, It seemed like I was in a hospital.

The white halls and beeping heart monitor were a dead give away.

The beeping of the heart monitor annoyed me and I leaned over to pull the plug.

Ahhh, finally silence.

Sunlight shone through the window that overlooked a small town I did not recognize which was to be expected.

I moved my left arm and saw it was wrapped in a bandage.

I wiggled my fingers and felt no pain or struggle. Yay for progress!

"Ralts," I said and she stopped hugging to look at me, "How long was I out?"

Please don't pull a Zelda and tell me I've been sleeping for a hundred years and the world was in ruins.

Ralts tilted her head and looked like she was thinking really hard. After a few seconds she said, "Ralts."

I blinked, "Yeah still don't know what that means."

Why did I even ask?

Ralts stretched her left arm out and folded her hand except for her thumb.

"1?" I asked.

Ralts quickly opened and closed her hand three times and then retracted it.

I had to say it looked rather cute, seeing her trying to communicate without fingers.

"Three days?" I asked incredulously.

Ralts nodded.

"How the heck did I sleep for three days?" I cursed, Ralts shrugged at that.

"Undernutrition, blood poisoning, blood loss and a heatstroke." A girl's voice answered suddenly.

It scared the shit out of me, same for Ralts who bumped her horn against my face in surprise.

Aren't you supposed to have an emotion radar?

A young girl stood in the doorway, she had long purple hair that contrasted her sparkling green eyes. She wore a white sundress and wore a stethoscope around her neck.

I estimated her around 12 years old.

Was she the local nurse?

She seemed to be a bit too young but this was the world that thought it was a good idea to send a 10 year old alone on an adventure to explore the world.

She strode into the room, looking very smug for some reason.

"Don't worry, you won't be dying, and we fixed that arms of yours."

She sounded surprisingly cheerful, it unsettled Ralts and she grabbed my hand and held tight.

"Uhhm, thank you?" I tried to react properly while feeling unnerved by this girl.

"It was quite easy you know?" She went on in the same creepy cheerfulness, "The Team Rocket guy though? His nape is fractured and he is permanently paralyzed."

The Rocket grunt I had hit in the back of his head? Had I broken his nape?

I didn't hit him particularly hard but a stone is a stone. Did I feel guilty? Not per se.

He had his coming and knowing this world there was bound to be some kind of berry or Pokémon that would heal him.

The girl shot me a grin that I classified in the "She will draw a knife any second" category.

"Stop messing with the patient Chelsea." A man's voice called from the door.

Does no one knock in this world?

I glanced at the door and hey! Isn't that a familiar face?!

Brown eyes, black hair and wearing a brown coat that would fit Sherlock Holmes?

"Agent Looker," The man at the door introduced himself, confirming my theory, "I'm from the International Police and here to investigate."

He gave me a curt nod as he walked into the room but he didn't bother to shake hands...what a letdown.

"Stop lying Chelsea," he looked at the girl who's name was apparently Chelsea and then looked at me. "The Team Rocket guy is doing fine. He woke up a few hours after the police arrived."

"Aaaah, come on Looker." Chelsea pouted.

"Go help your sister with the other patients." Looker sighed.

"There are no other patients," Chelsea complained.

Looker gave Chelsea a tired look.

"None of them are as interesting as Mister Mysterious."

"Mister Mysterious," Looker air quoted, "Is not here for your amusement."

I was torn between not wanting to be in the same room alone with Looker (Who was a detective and I could use everything that could distract him) or being in the same room as Chelsea who was definitely not a psycho.

Looker was someone I had seen in both the games and anime which was no help at all in finding out which version I was. If I remember correctly he was some kind of detective agent guy who was always disguising himself and helped the player take down the bad guy teams.

Also, didn't he have amnesia?

Welp, that did make things more interesting.

Also, Mister Mysterious?

Time to fish for information.

"Talking about here," I asked, "Where is here?"

"Sunbright town." Chelsea answered quickly.

Sunbright town? Never heard of, although that did not mean a lot considering the amount of unimportant towns Ash passed through in the anime.

"I mean what region am I in?"

Please don't say Galar, I prayed, I don't want to deal with Attack on Pokémon bullshit and the Dynamax stuff that was going on there was bound to ruin my day.

Both Looker and Chelsea stared at me like I was crazy, was the question that weird?

"You don't know in which region you are?" Looker asked suspiciously.

"Sinnoh," Chelsea said to the dismay of Looker, "How do you not know what region you are?"

Sinnoh, huh?

The region of space and time warping Pokémon.

The region of Arceus, the Pokémon god.

Welp, that does give me some theories as for how I got here, still Sinnoh was a pretty easy region to be in. I knew quite a bit about it and it was at least not Galar or the tropical heat of Sun and Moon.

"You have no idea of the region you are in," Looker said, talking like he was interrogating me, "And I did notice you didn't give me your name nor did you have any identifying papers on you."

Now came the most important part, faking memory loss.

Or to be precise, Agnosia.

People in my situation would often go with faking Amnesia which is not that strange. Movies these days misrepresent Amnesia as something that would simply block the long term memory.

On its own it doesn't sound that bad, it lets me get away with not having a backstory.

The problem for me was that everytime I would slip up and mention something I shouldn't know or remember people would notice that and start doubting my backstory.

People would start digging and ask questions until my Amnesia excuse fell apart.

No, what would be better was Agnosia.

Agnosia was similar to Amnesia but it was quite different at the same time.

People who had Agnosia couldn't remember details.

For example, for someone with Amnesia would have no idea how he woke up in a random place while the same person with Agnosia would remember what happened to him but not his own name or the name of the town he came from. This also went for visuals like faces and places.

Now what was easier to fake? Complete memory loss or just partly memory loss?

With Agnosia I could explain knowing certain things but not knowing my name, of course Agnosia is a bit more complicated than that but you get the point.

Agnosia was the way to go.

I frowned, "I couldn't remember the name of the region."

"You don't remember coming to Sinnoh?" Looker asked, surprise written on his face.

"I don't even remember my own name." I stuttered.

Now that got a reaction out of them.

"You don't remember your own name?" Chelsea asked.

I shook my head and pulled Ralts into a tight hug, she seemed to be quite content with that.

"Did the fight damage your brains?" She suggested, more interested than worried.

"No, I remember the fight and going into the forest." I answered truthfully.

"Remember anything else?" Looker asked, a bit more pressing.

"I remember most things fine but I can't just recall anything solid. I remember coming from another region and trying to escape from Team Rocket." I said,

"You were being hunted by Team Rocket?" Looker asked sympathetically.

Looker's main objective in the game and anime was stopping the bad guys, placing myself in the victim role was bound to give me some credit.

"Why?" Chelsea asked.

"Aren't you supposed to leave me and the patients alone for the questioning?" Looker asked her.

"Yes." Chelsea smiled at Looker and then turned her gaze on me again.

So I was being 'questioned', welp that was to be expected.

Now let's put my acting skills to use.

I lowered my head and made my voice sound shaky, "They took my parents and tried to take me too."

Chelsea gasped (too loud) while Looker gave me the look you give someone whose pet just died.

"Where are they?" Looker asked, "Can you remember anything we can use to help? Faces, names?"

"They killed them," cue the dramatic silence, ""And no, I can't even remember their names. I just remember that Team Rocket showed up and began attacking my parents. My mom commanded her only Pokémon to teleport me to safety."

A tear ran over my cheek and I felt bad for guilt tripping them but I had to create a backstory for myself.

"As I was being teleported away I saw it happen." I finished.

Well, if that is not a hero's worthy backstory then I'd be damned.

Also, it would take a brave detective to question the validity of my parent's death plus the fact that I hadn't even given them a region name. So it would be virtually impossible to track down anything.

"And that's how you got into Sinnoh?" Looked said and I nodded.

"Seems like you had a rough few days." Looker said sympathetically.

"But you can't remember anything?" Chelsea asked, it sounded like she was talking about her favorite show instead of my fake parent's death. "That sounds to me like you got Amnesia from that trauma."

No you girl! I'm having Agnosia.

"Seems more like Retrograde Agnosia." Looker said thoughtfully.

Wait how did he even know that kind of stuff? You're not a psychologist. Then it struck me, he must have been investigating memory loss himself since he has Amnesia. This was literally the best thing that could happen to me.

I thanked divine interference for this.

"Oohhhh," Chelsea cooed, "That's even better!"

"Chelsea," Looker said, "if you would be so nice to leave us alone 'Mister Mysterious' and I can have a talk."

No, don't leave me alone with him, distract him from noticing flaws in my backstory!

Ralts gave me an encouraging hug.

"Come on!" Chelsea pouted, "Give me the juicy details!"

"I really think you should go help your sister with the other patients." Looker insisted, the same way an FBI agent would tell you to leave the room.

"Fine," Chelsea said and she reluctantly walked out of the room but not before giving me an evil smile and saying, "Later Mister Mysterious."

How about no?

She left the room and Looker closed the door behind her. An uncomfortable silence filled the room as Looker took his time to walk towards one of the chairs next to my bed and took a seat.

"Ralts Ralts?" Ralts asked, what did it mean? I still don't know.

"So," I broke the ice, "Am I in trouble?"

"Do you think you are in trouble?" Looker replied.

That Asshole! Don't answer my question with a question. That's my strategy.

I shrugged nonchalantly,

"You truly have no idea who you are do you?" Looker asked, or stated. Whichever it was, he sounded like he sympathized with me.

"Yeah, not a single clue."

"Well," he went on, " For a boy without any specific memories you brought some great findings to light."

"I did?" I asked, truly confused. All I did was attack two people without provocation.

Sure they were part of a terrorist organization known for slavery and other Pokémon related crimes but still.

Looker took out his...phone? I thought it was a smartphone at first glance but when I took a better look it saw it was a blue Rotom Phone.

Wasn't that from Sword and Shield?

Welp, forwards compatibility confirmed. I had expected it but this was all the proof I needed. Even though I was in Sinnoh all the future regions still exist and could impact this region too.

Good to know.

Looker made a few taps and swipes on his fancy Rotom Phone until it showed a photo of the Team Rocket Tent.

"What do you know about Team Rocket?" He asked.

"Just the gist of it, bad guys who steal Pokémon and use them for their own profit?"

Looker nodded, "They are originally from Kanto and later spread to Johto."

I nodded, this information aligned with the Red (and Blue) and Gold (and Silver) games.

"Well your accidental trip in the woods brought to light that they are expanding their operations to Sinnoh. Possibly other regions too. This is something all the regions should know."

This was useful to know. A Team Rocket plot and I stumble across it the first day in this world? If that's not enough proof that I'm a generic Isekai protagonist then nothing would be enough proof.

"Okay," I said thoughtfully, "So what does this mean?"

"Well I'm here to thank you in the name of the International Police. Your recovery has been on our expenses and the Kanto League has a bounty for capturing the two Rocket Grunts which you can claim. Though it's not much, it's still a good amount."

My eyes widened, I needed money and this was literally the jackpot.

"Ralt?" Ralts perked up, sensing my sudden change in emotion.

One of the first things I had to do was buy a Pokéball for Ralts, no way in Hell I was going to risk someone else capturing her.

"The fact that you can't recall anything means it is a bit more troublesome to help you." Looker pointed out the obvious.

"Until we know who your parents are you can not claim their heritage which leaves you without money, identity and a place to stay."

Thanks Captain Obvious.

"Ralts." Ralts told Looker.

"I have Ralts," I said and I was completely honest, "And for that I'm eternally grateful."

"You are quite lucky with that one." Looker said, "She refused to leave your side for the entirety of your stay in the hospital."

"Seriously?" I asked Ralts, I gave her a big hug. "Who's da best?"

"Ralts!" She squealed in delight.

"Although you have Ralts you still lack other essentials," Looker went on, "That limits your options for the near future."

"What options do I have?" I asked.

"Well normally I would suggest you settle down and try to build a life somewhere but the lack of money and a place to stay is troublesome. That along with the fact that you seem to be a bit too young for that and the problem that Team rocket might be looking for you after you escaped their grasp and sabotaged their operation."

Oh, hadn't even considered that, though it did further my plan.

"What should I do?" I asked rhetorically.

"Well you already have a Pokémon and some money from the bounty and it would be wise to stay on the move until the Team Rocket situation blows over." Looker said matter of factly.

Yes! Send a traumatized teen on a journey please!

"You're suggesting I become a Pokémon trainer?" I asked.

"You remember your age?" Looker said and I shook my head.

"You seem to be around 16 years old, maybe a year older but it can't be much older. 16 is the age most trainers start their journey. You're not too old to start one."

Huh, 16 is the starting age instead of 10?

Well it makes more sense, does this mean that this universe is auto correcting itself to make sense? 16 made more sense than 10 but still, at least it was a good thing to know.

"You can still go on a journey. You don't need a lot of money to become a Pokémon trainer. A lot of kids these days do it." Looker sounded like he was trying to convince me to become a trainer but I was already convinced.

"You think I can be a Pokémon trainer?" I asked.

"You have a sharp mind, the fact that you took out two Team Rocket grunts showed that. You could try to take on the Gym challenge. If you want I can ask Professor Rowan to hook you up with a few Pokéballs and a Pokédex."

"Don't you need an ID to become a Pokémon trainer? I probably don't even have legal Sinnoh citizenship."

Looker smiled, "I can create a new ID for you. The International Police kind of owes it to you and I have already checked you for any criminal background you might have."

YES YES YES YES! This was literally everything I wanted.

All the pieces had fallen into place.

"You think we should do that Ralts?" I asked Ralts with a smile.

She gave me a determined nod and raised her first in the air with an explosive "Ralts!"

"Well," I grinned at Looker, "There is your answer."

Looker gave me a satisfied nod and rose from the chair, "Well, then my business here is done. I have more cases to work on after all. Team Rocket might have more operations in Sinnoh and potentially other regions so I won't be sitting still."

"Thank you for everything Agent Looker." I smiled and Ralts gave the man a nod.

"Though I still need a name for your new ID. got one in mind?"

I gave him a thoughtful look before saying. "Dust. That sounds like a fun name."

Get it Dust? Ash the protagonist of the anime, and I am called dust? A synonym for ash!

Sure Dust might sound weird but in a world where you had people named Red and Ash Dust fits right in.

Also so many puns I could be made, though you could dust me not to do such a thing.

"Last name?" Looker asked, neither complimenting nor refusing my new name.

"Wildfire." I said, "Dust Wildfire. That sounds cool enough."

"If you say so." Looker answered, "Well, good luck with recovering, Dust." he walked out of the door frame but not before saying. "I'll make sure to send you your new citizenship papers and ID to the hospital. In about two weeks Professor Rowan should ask you to come to his lab to start your journey."

He turned around and left the room...wait.

'TWO WEEKS?" I yelled incredulously.

"Your arm was ripped open kid," Looker yelled back from the hallway, sounding humored, "That takes time to heal. You're under observation for two weeks until you can leave the hospital. Enjoy your stay!"

THAT MOTHERF-

* * *

**A/N So that's a 3.6K chapter, damn took me way too long to write.** **I think I'm gonna shout out to the reviewers to encourage reviewing. I wonder if I have used enough tags...**

**Thanks for the Kudos and cya!**

**-Captain Moonshine-**


	5. Mysteries

**Chapter 5:**

**Mysteries**

Two fucking weeks?!

I had to wait 2 weeks before I could start my adventure.

I raised my left bandaged arm, didn't feel any pain, was I under the influence of painkillers?

I sighed and slumped back in my hospital bed.

Guess I was still in the tutorial I couldn't skip.

"Two more weeks," I complained out loud, " That's way too long."

"Ralts." Ralts agreed lazily. She was lying on my stomach like she was sunbathing.

"Hey Ralts, How about we explore this place?" I had gotten sick of lying in bed.

I glanced at the clock to see how much time had passed since Looker had left.

Only 40 minutes...damn you Dialga!

"Ralts Ralts?" Ralts asked concerned and she pointed at my bandaged arm.

Aaahhh...she is worried.

"It's just my left arm." I smiled, 'I'm not dying."

"Ralts." she answered skeptically.

"No one ever became a hero by staying in bed." I shot back, except Ash but he had plot armor so that doesn't count.

I moved myself slightly and forced Ralts to hop off my bed.

She rolled her eyes and muttered a "Ralts."

I swung my legs over the bedside and saw I was wearing a hospital gown, now that was not something I wanted to think about.

I took a few shaky steps around the bed to test my footing and saw the clothes I had worn, neatly folded on top of a chair.

Time to get changed, everything was better than hospital clothes.

"Ralts, please wait outside."

"Ralts?" She questioned.

The building we were in was small, very small. The hospital had two floors but was much not larger than an average house.

It also missed the entire hospital feeling, instead it looked more like a motel/hotel hybrid.

Ralts and I passed a few closed doors but there was no saying if someone was inside now.

I felt my pocket knife I had ""borrowed"" in my back pocket.

We found a staircase and an elevator that led downwards, we took the stairs and found ourselves in a lobby that had one desk and a few couches against the wall.

A few posters decorated the wall showing the skeletal figures of different kinds of Pokémon. There was also a poster about the health regulations of the hospital which colors had faded a long time ago.

A woman was sleeping behind the desk, she was also snoring very loudly.

Her face laid sideways on top of a book that was about...psychology?

Being super creepy, her eyes suddenly snapped open and purple eyes stared back at me.

Huh it seems like we had woken her up, I was not sure if I felt guilty about it.

It was a hospital but on the flip side I would have fallen asleep here too.

"Now now," she said with a playful tone, "decided to escape Mister Mysterious?"

She had deep purple eyes that held an intense gaze, way too intense for someone who had just woken up. Just like her eyes her hair was purple too and long enough to almost reach the end of her back.

She was dressed in a white shirt, black skirt and wore something comparable to sneakers.

I estimated her around the twenty, give it or take it.

Okay, this has to be Chelsea's sister.

"Uh, hello." I answered. "I'm...now going by the name Dust."

"Ralts!" Ralts waved happily at the woman.

The woman smiled at the Ralts and then at me, "I'm Hylla and yes, I am Chelsea's sister. The two of us run this hospital."

She leaned her heads on her hands, "So, is the service here so bad you decided to escape?"

I shook my head, "No, just decided to take a look around."

"And, enjoy your stay?" She said with a smirk.

She grinned when she saw the distaste on my face. "No need to lie, no one likes hospitals."

"Just sucks to be stuck here." I replied, "Though it looks nice, a bit empty too."

"I like my hospital as empty as possible."

So you can sleep?

"That makes sense I guess," I murmured, "though it would make bad business."

She shrugged, "I get paid per hour, not for what I do in that hour."

Welp, I could respect her mindset. Though it was disturbing since I was the patient in her hospital.

"So, if you're going to visit the town could you get me some groceries?" She asked casually.

"Wait, I neve-"

"Come on," She said, "Don't you wanna go out? You need to get some fresh air anyway. We're low on food and unless you want to eat hospital food you could help me out."

I blinked, "I'm hospitalized."

I pointed at my arm.

"Your arm is in a bandage," she said dryly, "unless you're dying you can totally get me some groceries and lift my workload."

"You were just sleeping." I told her.

"Well," Hylla smiled, "According to the doctor I require a lot of rest."

"Ralts." Ralts pointed out which I completely agreed with, I think.

"You are the doctor." I deadpanned.

She grinned, "So, you're gonna stick around in the boring hospital or explore the town, bother some old people and buy some groceries so we can eat something decent today?"

I blinked, this woman, or girl. She was childish enough.

"Okay, so this is what we need," she began writing on a post it she found on her desk before I could even agree.

I just watched her write, my mind still trying to catch up with this person. "Yup, this should be about it."

She handed me the folded piece of paper and smiled.

"I didn't even agree." I complained but I accepted the paper anyway.

It was not like I had anything else to do.

"You didn't agree, yet." She corrected me. "So whenever you need to pay just tell them to send the bills to Sunbright's hospital. They are familiar with my ways so it shouldn't be too much of a problem."

"Uhuh, aren't you scared I get lost?" I asked.

"It's a small town, you're not retared right?"

I really wondered if she had an actual doctor's license.

"Well, then I'm going." I said and was about to turn around when Hylla yelled. "Wait."

She opened a few drawers, clearly looking for something, until she found something.

She suddenly tossed it to me and I barely managed to catch it.

It was a Pokéball.

It was the regular red and white Pokéball. It's simple design had an elegance to it and it felt so smooth and OMG I AM HOLDING A FUCKING REAL POKEBALL!

It's so cool!

"Exciting isn't it?" Hylla asked, "Holding a Pokéball for the first time?"

I nodded, "It's so cool."

And now I was losing my ability to form a normal sentence.

"What's inside it?" I asked curiously.

"It's empty. Now you can capture Ralts. Wouldn't want anyone to capture her while you're in the open." Hylla smiled. "She's really loyal you know? She stayed at your side and refused to leave, even for food. I had to leave it in the room."

"You gave her food?" I asked.

"Ralts." Ralts confirmed.

"Thank you," I said, "Thank you very much."

"No big deal," Hylla smiled. "Wouldn't let a Pokémon starve on my watch. Now go and catch Ralts so I can continue my work."

"Are you sure?" I asked and glanced at the Pokéball, "Aren't those really expensive?"

Hylla shrugged, "Don't worry. I had a spare one anyway so it's not a big deal."

"Awesome, thank you so much." I said and knelt down to meet my Ralts on eye level.

"Ralts, I finally got you a Pokéball."

"Ralts?" She asked.

"Don't worry, I'll take you out immediately afterwards, it's just for emergencies so everyone knows you and I are partners."

Ralts gave me a determined nod and pushed the button in the middle. The ball popped open and a red beam sucked Ralts in and a second later she was gone.

I definitely did not have a minor heart attack.

The Pokéball did the shaky thing and I held my breath, left right, left right and left and right.

The light stopped blinking and it played the "Captured" sound.

I let out a sigh or relief.

I pushed the button in the middle and the Pokéball opened, Ralts appeared a second later.

"Ralts!" she cried out and lunged at me to do a hug attack.

Damn you were only gone for 10 seconds.

"So how is it inside the Pokéball?" I asked.

"Ra Ralt. Ralts." Ralts told me seriously. I nodded, pretending to understand it.

"Uhuh, so that's how it is."

"You can hold the button to shrink it." Hylla told me and I tried it.

I did as I was told and the Pokéball indeed shrank.

Huh, how did that work? Did it change the density of the particles or was the entire Pokéball a hard light construct?

I put the Pokéball in my pocket and stood up straight.

I faced Hylla to thank her again when I saw she was lying on her book again.

Did she just...no she wouldn't right

The purple haired woman had fallen asleep, was she faking it?

How in the hell-

Oh, and now she was snoring again.

Sunbright town was...well bright.

The small town bathed in the sunlight and had this weird almost fairy tale like feeling to it.

It was not big by any means, it had a small town square that had a few shops around it, just the essentials. No big Pokémon store like you had in the games.

I found out that the Hospital was located on top of a hill that overlooked the entire town.

I figured out that this town was south of Sandgem town which was interesting since that was where Rowan's lab was placed. The nearest town was Twinleaf town where the game's protagonist would start his/her adventure.

Nearby Twinleaf town was Lake Verity which I really wanted to visit.

If my memories were correct the three lakes in Sinnoh were the places where you could find the three lake Guardians.

Apparently the lakes themselves were a portal to where they actually lived which was an interesting concept.

Alternate dimensions exist in the Pokémon universe and I really wanted to know more about that kind of stuff.

Also, I kind of want to meet a Legendary.

I'm in the world of Pokémon after all and Legendaries were one of the best things in the Pokémon games and anime and Sinnoh has 9 legendaries of its own and that was not even counting the roaming legendaries from the other regions.

Would I try to capture one?

Let's leave that question for another day.

People waved at me and Ralts as we walked around the town. Ralts sat on top of my shoulders again because it was much faster walking.

Also, it was adorable.

As we were walking through town I saw an ongoing Pokémon battle.

"Shall we take a look?" I asked Ralts.

"Ralts!" She said and she urged me to move.

I complied and walked towards the clearing where two people were having a battle on a Pokémon battlefield.

A boy and a girl were having a battle, the girl was fighting with a Starly while the boy had a Fennekin.

Huh, Generation six?

The boy shouted a command, "Fennekin tackle!"

The yellow fox Pokémon charged at the Starly who was standing on the ground.

Why wasn't it flying?

If it were me I would order the Starly to keep flying and keep attacking Fennekin from the air, at this point Fennekin was not really equipped to fight an opponent who stayed in the air. It could probably do Ember or even Flame Charge if it was lucky enough to know the move but that would drain energy and once it was getting tired I would attack relentlessly from the air.

"Starly dodge it and then do wing attack." the girl yelled back.

Starly tried to dodge it but being a bird it's ground movement was inferior to Fennekin's 4 legs which allowed it to move faster than Starly.

Fennekin bumped into Starly and Starly let out a cry.

"Starly!" The girl yelled, "Quick attack!"

While the Starly was thrown in the air it suddenly faced its opponent and shot towards it in a flash, completely ignoring its previous momentum.

"Ralts!" Ralts yelled excitedly, "Ralts Ralts!"

"I know," I said, "That was quite the hit."

Starly crashed into Fennekin and it was thrown in the air before it regained its footing and landed on all fours.

"Ember now!" The boy yelled and Fennekin yipped a happy "Fenne" before it opened its mouth and a burst of flame shot towards Starly who was too slow to dodge it.

A second later the Starly had fallen to the ground, clearly unconscious.

"Welp, it seems like Fennekin won." I said.

"Ralts!"

It was the first battle I had seen in this world, or atleast a real battle.

The girl recalled Starly and whispered something to the Pokéball, probably something along the lines of "Take a rest now."

The boy for his part hugged his Fennekin who proudly smiled.

The boy and girl congratulated each other and then departed, I stayed at the field for some time.

This battle left me with a lot of questions.

It had confirmed something I had thought before, Pokémon can tank lethal moves without much trouble.

See, when that Fennekin crashed at full speed into Starly it should've crushed all the bones inside Starly's body.

Birds have hollow bones so they aren't too heavy and I assumed that Starly had something similar being a bird Pokémon after all.

However, it did not break any bones nor did Fennekin's Ember burn Starly's feathers or burn Starly's eyes out.

In a lot of ways it reminded me of RWBY.

In the show RWBY there was a thing called Aura which was the manifestation of the soul, lore bullshit aside it meant that the people in RWBY could tank bullets and survive lethal attacks as long as they had enough Aura.

A shotgun blast to the face or scythe coming down on your head would only lower your Aura instead of decapitating you.

If someone ran out of Aura however the attacks would land as they normally would.

Pokémon had something similar, I suspected some kind of ultra thin force fields but that was just a theory, a Game-

"Ralts?" she asked.

"Oh, just theorizing." I said, "Was thinking about the battle and the hidden mechanics. Anyway, what did you think of the battle?"

Ralts suddenly leaped off my shoulders and landed in front of me, she raised her fist and started fighting the air in front of her, yelling a few explosive "Ralts" to exaggerate her movements.

I smiled, "Yes, we will prevail and make this world crumble underneath our greatness!"

"RALTS!" Ralts cried out, her eyes practically shining.

"But first I gotta get some groceries."

I grabbed her and lifted her back to my shoulders.

We passed a few stores, one sold Pokémon merchandise, or was it just called regular Pokémon stuff in this world?

Another store was focused on camping stuff and the third store, the one I was looking for, sold food.

I entered the store and found what I was looking for.

Matpat once theorized that the Pokémon Dollar is not much worth compared to an American Dollar.

He calculated that 100 Pokédollars was as much worth as 40 cents.

Turned out, he was wrong.

The Pokédollar was around the same value of a regular dollar, or euro. Of course I hadn't studied the economy here but just seeing the prices in the store it wasn't that different.

I collected everything I needed, lifting the bag with my good arm and went to the counter to pay.

"Aaah," the old man behind the counter said, "The mysterious patient of the Sunbright Hospital."

The man was dressed in summer clothes, khaki shorts and a white polo shirt.

"Huh?"

"Ralts?"

The man grinned generously, "Just a joke kid."

"Okay…" I said, wondering what that was about. "Uh, you're supposed to send the bills to the hospital."

The man nodded, "So, if I may ask, how is it staying at Sunbright Hospital?"

"Not really anything special?" I said, wondering why he was asking.

The man must have seen my confusion because he chuckled again.

"So, anything wrong with me staying at the hospital?" I asked, getting a bit annoyed.

"Well, you're the first person to stay in that hospital for a long time." He explained after he calmed down, "So we all began to theorize what's so special about you."

I blinked, oh no, I smell an information dump coming in.

"What's so special about the hospital?" I said, which was the sign for the npc-I mean man to start his explanation.

"It's just that no one ever goes to hospital, and if they do they never stay."

Don't tell me it's haunted and that Hylla and Chelsea were dead all along.

"Why?"

The man shrugged, "It's not that something is wrong with the hospital. It's just that it's kind of unnecessary to have it here in this town."

I blinked, "Wait, how is a hospital unnecessary?"

"It's a small town," The man answered as he started to lean on the counter to make himself more comfortable. "The hospital is under equipped for anything serious so whenever people actually need help they go to the Hospital in Sandgem town. It's actually a mystery why it's still running considering that it just sucks up money right now."

"Who pays the hospital?" I asked, "Seems like a waste of money."

"The League," The man answered, "although we don't know why but they refuse to close it."

So the League was involved with keeping the hospital open? Why?

It sounded like the League was some kind of governing body but why bother with a small hospital in this town?  
Was Hylla connected to the league? If she was, then how?

"Does Hylla work for the League?" I asked.

The man shrugged, "I don't know. We never see her in town, she always stays at the hospital. Her younger sister, Chelsea, always buys groceries."

"That's weird." I said,  
"Yeah," The man agreed, "That's why were so surprised that you were brought over to this hospital instead of the one in Sandgem town. "That along with the fact that Hylla appeared in town to do some shopping the same day you arrived led us to theorize about you."

"Weird," I said, "She seemed pretty nice to me but it's indeed weird I've been sent to Sunbright Hospital with my condition."

The man shrugged. "So got some juicy details?"

I shook my head, not gonna give you something to talk about. Knowing how much this man loved gossiping the entire town would soon know.

I thanked the man and headed back towards the town.

I tried to train Ralts a bit but even Ralts noticed I was too distracted with whatever the man had said.

Something was just wrong here and I wanted to know what.

I tried to study Ralts' Confusion move but I gave up after my thoughts kept going back to the mystery on hand.

Ralts and I headed back towards the hospital where I found Hylla sleeping in her chair again, though she had switched positions.

I considered waking her up but I saw a lay out of the building hanging on the wall.

Using the layout I found the kitchen pretty easy. I placed all the stuff I had bought in the fridge.

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful, I played outside with Ralts and I had her spam Confusion to see her limits.

Around the end of noon I was called for dinner which turned out to happen just at a regular table instead of my own bed.

It was pretty chill, just eating like I wasn't on the edge of dying but I couldn't help but feel suspicious.

"So, what do you think of Sunbright town?" Hylla asked me.

I shrugged, "It's nice, though small."

"It's a shithole." Chelsea grinned, "Come on you can say it."

I blinked, "Well, that's one way to call it."

"Saved me lots of time though," Chelsea smiled, "The people in town are so boring."

I couldn't really deny it, though I haven't spoken to anyone really. Except the weird man at the store but that doesn't count.

"So, anything special happened?" Hylla asked and her purple eyes stared into mine, it was an innocent question but it felt like she was looking for something.

I shrugged, "Saw a Pokémon battle, Fennekin vs Starly."

"Ah, Thomas and Melon. They love to have their battles in the open." Hylla said, "They always hold their battles around noon sunday."

Wait, the girl is named Melon? Now that is weird.

"Oh, well the girl with the Starly lost anyway." I told them.

"Ra Ralt." Ralts confirmed, happily eating the weird Pokéfood Chelsea had given her.

"That's like the only thing that ever happens here," Chelsea complained.

"Well, its boring is better than danger." Hylla argued.

"Ugh, if only there came some Pokémon to wreck this town, at least I would have something to do."

Hylla ignored Chelsea's remark and pointed her gaze at me, "Oh, before I forget. You got a gift sent to you from The Sinnoh Bird club. I left it in your room to open it."

"Huh, wonder what that's about."

The letter that came with the box was kind of simple, apparently it was sent by the woman and guy who I had called on the radio.

They wished me the best regards and a fast recovery.

As I had thought they were part of some bird spotting group in Sinnoh.

I opened the large cardboard box and found inside...a Pidgey plush?

It was smaller than a real Pidgey but still quite big. It felt soft and I squished it.

"Ralts?" Ralts asked as she studied the plush.

"It's a gift from the Sinnoh Bird spotting club." I told her as I threw her the plush.

She caught it and began hugging it, "Ralts!" she cried out.

Wasn't Gardevoir called the Embrace Pokémon?

I glanced at Ralts who was trying to merge with the cute Pidgey plush, yeah I can see why they would call her that.

Curious for myself I took the Pidgey plush and tried to give it a hug myself, though I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as Ralts did it was still quite soft and warm.

"So, want to sleep in your ball or-" I began but Ralts has already claimed a part on my hospital bed.

I blinked, "Don't assume anything." I answered and I ignored all the clichés I knew were coming.

I hopped onto the bed with the Pidgey plush when my heart froze.

"Ralts?" Ralts asked, when she noticed my sudden shift in emotion.

I forced myself to think about something happy so Ralts wouldn't notice.

She still did but didn't mention it.

I felt cold inside, a feeling of dread was filling my mind, still I tried to act as normal as I could.

I placed the plush back on the chair and layed down on the bed.

""Ralts?" Ralts whispered, apparently noticing me trying to force my emotions.

"Nothing," I told her, "Just nervous for tomorrow."

Ralts gave me a skeptical look before closing her eyes, any other day I would complain about Ralts sleeping in my bed but my mind was now a mess.

I closed my eyes but I didn't feel relaxed in the slightest.

My mind kept wandering to the things I had heard in the grocery store.

I should've been excited about starting my own Pokémon adventure but I couldn't shake it.

That along with the fact that Hylla appeared in town to do some shopping the same day you arrived led us to theorize about you. The man had said.

As I tried to fall asleep my thoughts kept going back to the Pidgey plush.

I opened my eyes slightly and I saw it sitting in the chair I had placed it in.

There was a store in town that sold Pokémon merchandise, a store that probably sold Pidgey plush.

I tried to think of a reason for a theory, a hypothesis but my mind kept going in circles.

It kept going back to the Pidgey plush I had hugged.

I had hugged it tightly, and found that a part on its back could be opened,out of curiosity I put my hand inside and felt what was inside it.

I opened my eyes again and stared back at the Pidgey Plush,

The Pidgey plush with a camera inside.

**A/N 4.1K words again, so the plot is still going on.**

**I think there was an error with the chapters which resulted in chapter 4 being uploaded twice, not sure. Archive of Our Own is weird to me.  
**

**Cya later!**

**-CaptainMoonShine-**


	6. Confusion

**Chapter 6:**

**Confusion**

* * *

I heard that people who were the victim of burglary describe it as traumatic.

Even when the burglar took nothing of value they still describe that they don't feel safe anymore.

I now understood what these people felt, the plush Pidgey with a camera inside didn't really change anything. A lot of Hospitals had cameras, though none of them were hidden ones.

I wasn't even doing anything that required privacy yet I felt unsafe.

What was supposed to be a recovery at the hospital turned into a game of mysteries.

I had fallen asleep with my pocket knife under my pillow, though I knew it was futile.

Considering there were literally Pokémon who could attack me in my sleep I was totally defenseless.

Still, I managed to get some sleep that night.

When I woke up in the morning it was 8am.

Now, I was a big fan of sleeping in but I really wanted to work on Ralts training. Yesterday I couldn't really focus on anything but today I felt a bit better.

I had managed to calm myself down and reconsidered everything.

I stared at the Pidgey plush.

Sure it was creepy as hell and totally ruining any sense of personal space I had but would I let it ruin my day?

Had to be practical about it, there was nothing I could do about it and if this world wanted to throw me into a game of mysteries I would do everything to come out victorious.

Still, I had the dilemma of sleeping in or going out to train with Ralts.

I turned my head and saw Ralts was still asleep...and she was drooling on my pillow.

Well, that did it.

I tapped Ralts on her horn thingy to wake her up.

She turned around and began to sleep on her left side, I tapped again and this time she woke up.

Her eyes lazily opened and and looked back at me accusingly.

I pointed at the pool of saliva on the bed, she saw it and her eyes widened. Her face turned red and she began to mutter an embarrassed "Ralts."

I chuckled, "Don't worry about it. Wanna go out and train?"

Ralts happily nodded and moved out of the bed.

I sent her out of my room and began to change my clothes, I had to get my own stuff soon.

Sleeping in a hospital gown was really uncomfortable and made me feel I could die any moment.

I was grimly reminded of my lack of privacy by the Pidgey plush, I was torn between acting like I wasn't aware of the camera, turning away from it and potentially showing my hand or taunting it and dressing myself as slow as I could.

In the end I did the smart thing and acted like it wasn't there, better not reveal my cards.

I left the room and met up with Ralts, we passed the rooms that Hylla and Chelsea had claimed as their own. The doors were both closed.

Guess they both like sleeping in.

It reminded me of how weird my stay here was. In name I was a patient but Hylla and Chelsea were okay with me doing my own thing. I was only here so they could observe my recovery and keep the bandages clean.

It was better than a regular hospital in every conceivable way, in fact it was better because I was the only one.

I could run in the hallways!

Ralts and I went down the stairs and passed an empty lobby.

I was not sure if I was supposed to wait until they woke up or if they expected me to make my own breakfast.

Not wanting to intrude I went outside and found behind the hospital the perfect training spot.

I found one behind the building, it was only a minute walking away from the hospital and was just your average Pokémon battlefield, lines drawn on the ground to mark the edges and a indicated spot for each Pokémon during a 1 on 1 battle.

Convenient.

It made me wonder if any of the two sisters had Pokémon, probably since this was the world of Pokémon and everyone had them.

Ralts and I stood in the middle of the field, "Okay Ralts, time to do some testing."

Ralts nodded and narrowed her eyes in concentration.

"Confusion, full force!" I yelled dramatically, why did I yell?

Because that's what Pokémon trainers do.

It took about two seconds for Ralts to do it, a long purple ray that came from her horn.

The Confusion she fired was big in range, bigger than the one she did in the forest, the width of the purple circles was getting bigger as it got further away from her but they faded when they reached some point away from her.

I estimated the distance the Confusion covered was about 15 meter(49,2 Feet) which is quite good.

As the purple circles crossed the battlefield and stirred up dust and sand alike, tearing a few patches of grass along its way. It took the ray around 5 seconds to cross the field before fading away which was quite slow but considering the size of the attack it wasn't too bad.

"Please do it again." I asked and I picked up a stone from the edge of the field and threw it into the ray that soon followed.

The moment it came in contact with the Confusion it was thrown forward following the direction the Confusion was going and eventually it crashed into the ground where it was stuck,

It seemed that the Confusion ray does have a physical impact on non organic materials as well as Pokémon.

The Raticate in the forest had been thrown away by this attack but it didn't really hurt him.

I knelt down, grabbed some sand from the ground and threw it up.

I took a step back and commanded Ralts to fire a Confusion at it.

It created a perfect hole in the falling sand, the sand in the middle being accelerated forward while the sand that was not in range of the ray fell down like it normally would.

My current theory was that Ralts drew psychic energy from somewhere and manifested it into a beam of energy that is being released in small amounts, like a machine gun in burst mode.

It didn't really matter how it worked but I always loved theorizing about superpowers.

Still, it took Ralts two seconds to charge a Confusion and it still wasn't that strong.

Sure it had the reach and range but the damage output was not even close to Pikachu's Thundershock or something comparable.

This move was meant to drain the enemy of strength instead of knocking it out.

The start up time was big and could probably be reduced my leveling up, metaphorically speaking of course.

Beside that, Ralts seemed to be immobilized when she fired that beam which was a huge disadvantage in my book.

It was a big commitment to fire the Confusion full force and it left Ralts open for counter attacks if her attack wouldn't hit them first.

If it were a bit more powerful it could be considered a high risk-high reward attack but it wasn't strong enough yet.

But what if…

"Ralts," I said, "Try to fire another Confusion again but this time less powerful. In fact, put as little power in as possible."

"Ralts?" Ralts asked confused.

"I have a theory, if I am right it could change a lot of things. If the previous attack was 100% then try 10% now."

Ralts nodded and faced away from me.

Immediately a purple ray shot out of her forehead just like before.

But this one was slow, way slower.

It was as slow as when we had met and was around walking speed, the width of the ray was also smaller whereas 100% was around the size of a big tractor wheel this one was the size of a basketball.

It reached as far as the 100% beam before fading away, it just took a bit longer to reach.

"Okay, it looks promising so far."

"Ralts?"

"Trust me on this one okay," I said, "It will all make sense later. Now I want you to try to fire again but this time after firing step to the left and try again."

"Ralts." She said determined and focused, a purple ray instantly appeared and she hopped to her left where she fired again.

The result was two purple rays moving parallel to each other, one being ahead by only a tiny bit.

"Yes!" I cried out having my theories confirmed.

It seems that reducing the amount of energy Ralts put into her Confusion negates the startup time and removes the immovability entirely.

"That was amazing Ralts," I said, "Now I want you to find the right amount."

"Ralts?" She asked and I think she was asking what I meant with "the right amount".

"I want to see how much energy you can put into the ray without it affecting the startup time okay?"

Ralts tilted her head and began to think before nodding and walking towards the middle of the field where she would have more space to experiment.

She fired Confusion after Confusion, moving and jumping while firing it.

Finding the right amount of energy would be like trying to find a radio frequency, possible but with trial and error.

Still this was great, Ralts had met all my expectations and the future seemed a bit brighter.

Sure she only knew one move but we were still in the tutorial so we could take our time to find our way.

"Ralts!" Ralts cried out and I fixed my gaze on her. She was excitedly waving her arms while trying to tell me something.

"Show me." I said and she turned away from me.

Immediately a purple ray appeared, she walked left and right and more rays kept spawning every second.

It had the size of a small fridge this time and it still reached the same 15 meter(49,2Feet) as the 100% one.

Ralts was now creating a small area that was continuously being occupied by the rays of purple energy.

Because of its low speed it was able to cover a whole lot more ground than the 100% one which was something to keep in mind.

I picked up another stone and threw it into the rays, it was thrown towards the other side of the field but with less force than the 100% one.

"Are you not getting tired of spamming a low power Confusion?" I asked when Ralts finally stopped.

"Ralts." She shook her head with a proud smile on her face.

"Okay, so final question about the Confusion, how many percent of the full force Confusion was that?"

"Ralts," she told me and I wondered why I even asked it.

"20?"

She shook her head.

"30?"

"Ralts!' she happily nodded.

Okay, 30% of a full force beam was without startup time, no end lag and a slower traveling beam perfect for spamming and sealing of areas on the battlefield to limit our opponent's movement.

Sure the damage it did was lower but that could also be used as an advantage. It reminded me a lot of Fox in Super Smash Bros.

Fox had a blaster that shot out a red laser, the laser only did around 3% damage and didn't have any knockback on the opponent, nor did it make you flinch but it could be fired rapidly. The laser could be dodged but because its low damage most people ignored the blaster and stormed through it, however as the match goes and fox keeps shooting and camping the damage stacks up.  
Before you know it he had done 50% damage by laserblasts only.

The spamming of Confusion would slowly but surely damage our opponent if they were not careful enough.

Even better, we could let them get used to the slow, low damage Confusion and then suddenly hit with a full force Confusion and catch them by surprise.

And that was not even considering the Confusion status effect it could give. In the game it had a 10% chance of giving the status effect. I knew it could inflict the same status effect in this world too thanks to the Raticate but I was unsure how it worked.

Was it 10% per ray or 10% per second one was exposed? Or was it not at all measured in percentages and was it a combination of chance, exposure to the ray and the opponent's strength?

I knelt down and hugged Ralts to reward her for her efforts.

Ralts squealed in delight and hugged me back.

After a few seconds of hugging I took a step back and smiled.

"Now how do you feel about becoming Daredevil?" I asked with a smile.

"Ralts?"

* * *

**A/N so lots of training montage this chapter, I hope I did a good job at describing her moves.**

**Also, Archive of Our own again messed up the chapter order, very annoying and for some reason it also messes up the chapter titles.**

**-CaptainMoonShine-**


	7. Unraveling

**Chapter 7: Unraveling**

* * *

Ralts was standing in the middle of the battlefield, held a pebble in her hand and was looking at me.

Or atleast, where she thought I was.

I was standing a few meters to her right, Ralts raised the pebble and threw it full force...to her left.

"Miss." I informed her and I moved again, this time to stand behind her, though a bit further away.

Ralts sighed and knelt down to grab another pebble from the pile near her feet,

She waited for a second before turning around and throwing it, this time it landed at my feet.

"Hit." I said and she let out a sigh of relief.

She knelt down to grab another pebble as I again moved to a new location.

Oh yeah, she was blindfolded, I did mention that right?

She was tilting her head, clearly having trouble finding me.

"What are you guys doing?" a voice behind me whispered.

"Wahahaa!" I cried out and turned around to see Chelsea standing behind me. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"

This morning Chelsea apparently decided to go for the emo look because she wore a black skirt, black boots and a black shirt with the outline of a Haunter in white on it.

This time she had her purple hair in a high ponytail.

"How in the fuck do you manage to sneak up on me like that?" I cried out.

Chelsea grinned at me, "That's because I alw-"

Before Chelsea could finish being creepy a pebble hit her in the face.

It didn't really hurt, I knew it from experience but still it left her blinking in surprise.

"Hit," I called out at Ralts, "Though this time a miss would've been better."

"Ralts?" she asked and lifted the bandage that I had wrapped around her head to block her view.

"RALTS!" she cried out when she saw Chelsea and ran towards me at an incredible speed to hide behind my legs.

You were the one who threw the pebble you know?

"What are you two exactly doing?" Chelsea asked again, "Because I just come here to check up on you when I see a blindfolded Pokémon throwing pebbles at her trainer."

"Ralts." Ralts muttered hiding behind my legs.

"We were training empathy sense," I told her.

"You were training what?" Chelsea asked as she looked at Ralts who was cowering behind my legs.

"That horn thing on her head can sense emotions." I told her, "I think its called Empathy but I'm not sure."

"I know that a Ralts can do that but why train it?"

"Because," I began, "If we train this power and she becomes powerful enough she can not only sense emotions but also pinpoint the exact location of people and Pokémon. That way Ralts will be able to track down her opponent's location at any given point or time."

I saw Chelsea's incredulous look and went on with my explanation.

"It can become a form of Hyper Awareness that can be used not only to assist in aiming ranged attacks but will also nullify any stealth based move like Double team or Smokescreen."

Chelsea stared at Ralts and then back at me, "That sounds very powerful."

I shrugged. "Not as much as you would think, there are other moves to pinpoint your enemy's location like future sight and Aura. Still, it will give us the slight edge that it's a passive ability and stays active the entire fight."

Chelsea had again that grin of her's, "So, Mister Mysterious is also an excellent strategist."

I rolled my eyes, "Serious?"

"Ralts?" Ralts copied.

"Anyway," Chelsea said, "We're going to check your left arm and replace the bandages."

"Ahh," I said, "Hylla is awake?"

"Nope." Chelsea answered as she walked back to the hospital, making me wonder if I should follow her.

Ralts and I did anyway and we found ourselves in the lobby where Chelsea was dragging a chair towards the one behind the desk.

Next to the two chairs was a metal trolley they always had in a hospital, on top of it I saw various medical supplies that made me gulp.

Chelsea took a seat in the comfortable desk chair and gestured to me to take a seat in the plastic chair she had just dragged over.

I sat down and Ralts jumped on my lap where she sat silently.

"Arm please," Chelsea said professionally and I laid my arm on the plastic armrest.

Chelsea began unwrapping the bandage in silence, becoming agitated by the silence I tried to make conversation.

"So," I began, "Any reason you look after my arm instead of your sister?"

"Don't trust me to do a good job at it?" Chelsea smiled.

Can you please not make it sound like you're going to stab me if I give the wrong answer?

"Just curious." I answered, deciding to stay vague for obvious reasons.

"Well if you want Hylla to take care of your arm you better amputate it right away."

Chelsea had just unwinded all the bandages and now my arm was visible.

And God was it ugly, the flesh was no longer ripped open but it was still rough around the edges and dried patches of blood made it not look any better.

Still it was better than before and it was clearly healing.

"What do you mean with amputating my arm right away?" I asked confused.

"Hylla wouldn't be able to fix your arm, in fact just replacing your bandage is something only I can do." She sounded proud and had a smug smile on her face. "Hylla has many qualities but being a doctor isn't one of them."

Chelsea opened her hand and said, "Alcohol."

I thought she meant me but to my surprise Ralts reached out to the metal trolley and grabbed a small bottle and handed it to Chelsea.

The team work between the two showed that they had done this before, my guess was that Ralts and Chelsea had worked together to fix my arm while I was unconscious and apparently Hylla was sucking at her job.

Chelsea opened the bottle and dipped a piece of cloth inside it and began cleaning my wound with it.

It hurt like a bitch but I grinded my teeth, I needed something to distract myself from the pain.

"Wait, but don't you and Hylla work together? She told me she was a doctor." I asked, hoping to distract myself from the pain.

Chelsea answered without looking away from my arm, "Hylla does the administration and the legal stuff and yes, she is a doctor but only in name."

"Ralts." Ralts said and pointed to a spot Chelsea missed, I had hoped she wouldn't notice 'cause it hurts but my loyal Ralts betrayed me apparently.

Chelsea managed to keep talking without looking up from her work, "She has a medical license but never did any medical school or residency training to get it. She convinced the guy in charge of the medical school that it was a waste of time to let her follow the course and exam."

I blinked, "Wait she did what?"

Chelsea shrugged, "Hylla is like that, the guy gave her an impossible test and she somehow managed to beat it. It's thanks to the fact that Hylla is officially a doctor and I can do my job without help a license myself. Officially I am only assisting her."

"Uh," I said dryly, I wanted to point out how illegal it was but I kinda did not know how illegal it was. I had no ideas about the laws in this world, considering they have legal dog fights (or something comparable) gave me not a lot of confidence.

Chelsea was now carefully cleaning up the rough edges of my healing wound.

"So, how did you learn all this stuff? In fact, how did you and Hylla end up running a hospital anyway?"

The moment I said it Chelsea lost her focus and pressed the cloth a bit too hard against my wound and caused a short moment of flaming pain, before she recovered and pretended nothing happened.

I bit my tongue and managed to not let out a cry.

Although Chelsea managed not to falter, her emotions betrayed her...or Ralts did. She must have sensed a shift in Chelsea's emotions because she gave Chelsea a confused look.

"Our parents taught us, or me. Hylla never really cared for our parent's hospital but I do." Chelsea said cheerfully, too cheerfully for my taste.

So it was their parent's hospital, well following the cliché they are probably…

"They're dead aren't they?" I whispered, why did I say that out loud? God I suck at this.

The following silence however confirmed it.

"I'm sorry," I said, knowing how hollow those words could be, "They'd be proud of you, I'm sure of it."

"I hope so."

She silently said and began wrapping the bandage back on my arm.

So it seemed that the sisters inherited the hospital, or probably Hylla did since she was of legal age. Assuming of course that they had the same legal age as my world.

Hylla obviously didn't care as much as about the hospital considering she was neither skilled in healing nor interested in her job.

The question was why did the Sinnoh League deemed the hospital important enough to keep it open even when it was a waste of money (or so the people in town thought).

After a short silence Chelsea seemed to be done because she said, "And you can go on with your day Mister Mysterious."

She grinned at me, back to her usual self.

"Thanks," I said gratefully, "Seems like I was really lucky to have such a good doctor."

"Hehe," Chelsea chuckled, "Wasn't luck Dust, Hylla requested it."I blinked, "Wait what?"

She looked at me like it was something obvious, "You don't know? When the police were looking for a place to fix you up Hylla personally requested that you would be nursed in her hospital."

"Why?" I asked confused.

Chelsea shrugged, "Dunno but it makes my life at least a bit less boring. Don't you think?"

What is that even supposed to mean?

I nodded and Chelsea stood up to clean up all the mess we made.

Hylla had personally requested I would be nursed here, placed a Pidgey cam in my room and didn't even know a single thing about being a doctor.

It seemed that Hylla was playing a game but what was she trying to achieve?

"You look pale," Chelsea suddenly said, I looked up and saw she was finished. "Have you eaten anything since you've woken up."

"I always look pale," I deadpanned, "And no, I hadn't had breakfast yet. Wasn't sure I could just grab something or had to wait for one of you two to wake up."

I had seen myself in a mirror yesterday and it was horrifying.

I had anime protagonist hair!

It was blue, somewhere between Aqua blue and Marine blue. Who the hell has blue hair? I mean in an anime world it was more common, not a lot but a bit more.

I would still stick out in a crowd, even here and that annoyed me.

Luckily my hair was not spiky, instead it was long but not girly long. The hair locks in front of my eyes reached my mouth and would block my eyes if I didn't swipe it out of my face.

The blue hair locks were messy but not like a homeless kinda messy but like a rebellious teenager.

It kinda pissed me off, it was like Rem from Re:Zero had gotten a child with Light Yagami and the child joined the edgiest metal band he could find in highschool.

It kinda looked cool but also pissed me off for no real reason.

I had a pretty normal face with deep blue eyes that made me regret I had not chosen a name related to blue.

Like Blue...get it? The antagonist in Pokémon Red?

My skin was also really, really pale, so pale it made me wonder if I had some kind of Vampire powers but the lack of sharp teeth seemed to suggest I was just pale.

Chelsea blamed my lack of substantial food but I knew better.

I was an edgy anime protagonist.

Helix may have mercy on my soul.

"Ralts RaRalts." Ralts said and I thought she was talking about my appearance but I realize that she was talking to Chelsea, she pointed at my stomach and then said again her own name.

Chelsea seemed to understand it because she laughed and told me. "You can just grab something from the kitchen if you're hungry." The tilted her head, "We eat dinner at six, yesterday was an exception because we were out of food."

"Thanks." I said, "Well, I'm going to get some food for Ralts and I."

"Yeah, you should. You both look really pale." Chelsea laughed and then walked away.

We went to the kitchen and I wondered what the hell Ralts should eat but that question was quickly answered.

In the kitchen fridge I found a paper bag with a memo stuck to it saying: _Food for Ralts, not edible for humans, side effects may include death. Seriously, stay away from this stuff. -Hylla_

Did Hylla seriously think I was this retarded...okay, I totally would try to taste what Ralts' food tastes like but still.

In the end Ralts ate some kind of berry/apple hybrid which probably had a fancy name but I really didn't recognize it.

After breakfast I asked my eternally determined Ralts if she was up for some jogging, she was...but only for 10 minutes.

As I expected her small legs couldn't really carry her for an extended period of running. That along with the fact that one of my steps took like 10 small steps of her made it really awkward to jog together.

Most of the time I would run a few meters, wait for Ralts to catch up and then run again.

Still, her unwavering determination couldn't carry her forever, or more than 10 minutes.

Being the good trainer I took her upon my shoulders and carried her, sure I could put her back in her Pokéball but we really had this Ash/Pikachu relationship going on so I decided that I could carry her.

Which made me feel exhausted after my 40 minute run of carrying an exhausted Ralts.

When we arrived back at the hospital I found my favorite purple haired spy sitting at the desk again and she was sleeping on top of a book.

She again did that creepy thing where she snapped her eyes open the moment I stepped close.

"The shower is on the second floor at the end of the hallway next to the backdoor. Feel free to use it." She said, putting a few yawns in the sentence for good measure.

"Thanks, I think?"

She gave me a sweet smile, and then went back to work...which meant sleeping obviously.

I left Ralts in my room to recover and found the shower.

When I was done I entered my old sweaty clothes again and made a mental note to buy new clothes once I got the bounty for Team Rocket.

I went back to my room and found Chelsea looming over Ralts who sat atop of my bed. Ralts seemed to be having a conversation with Chelsea, although Chelsea couldn't really understand her either, she seemed to be amused by Ralts Pokéspeak though.

"Ralts!" Ralts cried out happily and hopped into my arms the moment she saw me.

"You know I've only been gone for 10 minutes at most?" I chuckled.

"Rals Ralts!" she cried out, giving me another critical hug attack.

"So what are you doing here?" I asked Chelsea, sounding more hostile than I intended but she didn't seem to mind because she gave me her usual creepy smile. "Can't a doctor check up on her patient?"

Not if said doctor is creepy as hell.

"Anyway," Chelsea said when I just kept staring at her, "Hylla said you were going to the town and I was bored and decided to come along."

This made me stop, I hadn't told anyone that I wanted to go to the town, in fact I just decided to do that while I was showering.

Was Hylla a psychic or was it just a simple prediction? It wasn't impossible for a human to have psychic powers in the world of Pokémon.

Sabrina from Kanto was a prime example of that.

'Hylla,' I thought, 'if you are a psychic make a noise.'

Nothing.

'Hylla, I'm about to murder your sister.'

Still nothing.

'You have a nice ass.'

Still nothing, either Hylla wasn't a psychic or she wasn't stupid enough to fall for these traps, had to try it again when I could read her facial expresions.

Anyway Hylla was right about me wanting to go to town, I wanted to ask around for information. In particular, information about Ash, Red, Ethan and Team Galactic.

Sunbright town didn't have a library and I couldn't just march into someone's house to use their pc unlike in the games.

I could ask Hylla and Chelsea but asking them would be a bit too risky, I would have to explain stuff and I really do not want to explain that I was trying to figure out if I was in the games or in the anime.

Chelsea coming along would kind of ruin that plan, on the other hand could I really turn her down after she we had that weird emotional moment?

Yes I could but I wasn't heartless.

"Fine," I sighed, "You can come."

"Awesome!" Chelsea exclaimed, "Maybe we'll come across Melon and Thomas and we can have a double battle."

Melon and Thomas, the kids I saw yesterday with the Starly and Fennekin.

"You have a Pokémon?" I asked.

"Raaalttss." Ralts protested when I put her down, honestly I was getting a bit tired from carrying her, especially after having a jog while carrying her.

Chelsea grinned, "Yes."

She didn't elaborate so I took it upon myself, "Fine I bite, what kind of Pokémon?"

"Not gonna tell you, maybe you get to see it once we challenge those two kids to a duel. Their existence always annoyed me." Chelsea finished with an annoyed frown.

"Ralts never had a real battle," I told Chelsea.

Ralts protested and imitated a Raticate, or I thought she did otherwise she was choking.

"Doesn't count," I told Ralts, "We barely did any damage to the Raticate."

I turned to Chelsea, "Is your mystery Pokémon experienced with battling?"

"Nope." Chelsea said and crushed all my hopes that her Pokémon could help Ralts develop more moves. "But that shouldn't be a problem for you, right Mister Tactician?"

"Ralts!" Ralts happily agreed.

You traitor.

* * *

In the end we didn't battle Melon and Thomas. They were nowhere to be seen and although Chelsea told me she knew where they lived I decided we wouldn't drag them out of their houses for a Pokémon battle.

Ralts had found a short tree branch which she decided to keep for unknown reasons. I would love to say that she was using the stick to learn a new move or fighting style but she was just amazed by its mere existence.

Chelsea was skipping instead of walking which made me feel like a grumpy adult, especially when she dramatically waited for me every 10 seconds.

Nothing of importance really happened, we were watching some people go on with their day and I saw a girl with a Nidoking which I thought was impressive but Chelsea told me it wasn't that impressive.

After a few hours of killing time Ralts suddenly let out a panicked "RALTS!" and started pulling my leg and kept crying out her name.

"Hey, what's she doing?" Chelsea asked concerned.

I shrugged, "Don't know."

I knelt down to meet my Ralts in the eyes and asked. "What's wrong?"

"Ralts! RaltsRalts!" she pointed towards...oh Arceus no! A dark back alley.

Being the impulsive child she is Chelsea immediately dashed towards the alley.

I yelled at her to stop but she didn't listen, leaving me and Ralts alone on the town's square.

"Goddamnit!" I cursed, "Does no one in this world think before they act."

Apparently not because the moment I finished that sentence Ralts chased after Chelsea into the totally not suspicious back alley.

I followed her and found myself in an alley between the food store and some random house. The size of the house cast a shadow on the alley, making it a bit shady and totally okay for sneak attacks.

A man was lying on the ground, breathing heavily and grunting in pain. He had blood on his shirt and although I couldn't see a wound the amount of blood made me suspect it came from his stomach.

"Help me drag him out of the alley." Chelsea demanded.

"Shouldn't you stabilize him first?" I asked.

"Can't work in the dark." Chelsea shot back and tried to pull the man up by his shoulder, only to fail.

Ralts tried to help but both were really small and light compared to the man.

I wanted to argue there was light enough in the alley but one angry look from Chelsea made me shut up and help.

Together we managed to drag the man out of the alley and dragged him towards the middle of the town's square and placed him against the fountain that had a marble Gyarados on top of it.

Now it was a bit brighter I could see the man, beside being covered in blood he was looking quite mundane.

I estimated him around 30, he had a neatly trimmed beard that made a combo with his dirt brown hair. He wore a black jeans and a t-shirt with a vague pattern on it that was ripped open around the stomach and revealed a bloody mess.

Before Chelsea could start on helping the man a huge shadow passed over us and HOLY FUCK that is a Charizard.

The Charizard circled above us before landing next to us, to my surprise it had someone riding on it. A purple eyed woman who was now fully awake.

Hylla has a Charizard? Why did no one tell me?

I saw people staring at us from the edges of the square, though none of them offered to help. I realized that one of them must have called an ambulance...or Charizard. It was a weird reminder that the two sisters were in charge of a hospital and not a hotel.

Hylla jumped off Charizard's back and took a quick glance at the bleeding man. "Place him on Charizard's back now, I'll fly him to Sandgem town's hospital."

She demanded it with such authority that I already moved to help her but Chelsea stopped me, "No, he's not stable. We need to help him in our hospital or he might lose too much blood."

"We're under equipped." Hylla argued, "We don't have time for this."

"We're not underequipped." Chelsea exclaimed angrily.

Personally I agreed with Chelsea but I didn't know a single thing about this kind of stuff. Still, to me a bandage seemed enough to stop the bleeding.

It really didn't matter because Hylla fixed her gaze on me, "Dust, help me swing this man over Charizard's back. Make sure his stomach is facing up."

She didn't really ask it but I complied anyway.

Eventually Chelsea began helping us move the man but it was clear she didn't agree with Hylla.

"Pocket knife Dust." Hylla suddenly said.

"What?" I said dumbfounded.

"Ralts!" Ralts explained, I think.

"Your pocket knife, I need to borrow it." Hylla stated.

How did she even- no, now was not the time for that.

I handed her my knife and she flipped it open and cut the man's shirt into pieces and handed the pieces to Chelsea.

"Make a temporary bandage, to stop him from bleeding." Hylla demanded and Chelsea began to work on it wordlessly.

We had to move the man a few times but in the end we managed to cover the wound.

"It won't hold." Chelsea said, grinding her teeth.

"It will." Hylla said sternly and climbed atop Charizard's back.

The Charizard flapped its wings.

"Don't leave the town," Hylla told Chelsea, "Don't move an inch from where you're standing."

Chelsea didn't answer but instead was just glaring at her older sister.

"That counts for you too Dust." Hylla said.

Wait, what? Why does it feel like I'm grounded?

"Ralts?"

"You heard me. Don't move." Hylla said, then she stopped. I thought she was about to say something else but instead she reached into her pocket and took out two Pokéballs.

She threw both of them at the ground and in a flash two Pokémon appeared next to us.

A burning horse and a weird blue lion thingy.

Or as they are called here, Rapidash and Luxray.

Hylla has three fully evolved Pokémon?

"Rapidash, Luxray, I'm flying this man to Sandgem town, don't let Chelsea and the blue haired boy leave your sight."

The two Pokémon fixed their intimidating gazes on us and it was terrifying.

With those cheerful words Hylla took off.

"Your sister is kind of overprotective." I told Chelea.

"You wouldn't say." Chelsea glared up at the sky.

I looked up at the sky where Hylla flew North on her Charizard with a man who was possibly bleeding to death.

It disturbed me because the wound in the man's stomach was awfully similar to the one in my arm after my encounter with the Raticate.

**A/N 4.2K words this time.**

**Also, the hospital arc is soon coming to an end...I think.**

**Anyway, please keep reviewing and favoriting because that does put a smile on my face.**

**CYA all later!**

**-CaptainMoonshine-**


	8. Attack

**Chapter: 8**

**Battle**

"psssst…" I whispered, "Hylla's Pokémon are kinda scary."

"Ralts." Ralts whispered back.

"No they're not." Chelsea denied but she still gave the two fully evolved Pokémon a wary look.

"Luxray." Luxray disagreed.

I sighed. "It's not you, It's me."

Luxray gave me the stinky eye.

Rapidash stayed silent, just watching me with its creepy orange eyes.

"Hey, can I touch your mane?" I asked the burning horse.

It kept staring at me.

"The flames will burn you, you know that right?" Chelsea asked like I was stupid.

I did know that, something about trust and friendship. Still, I wanted to try it.

Call it me Geeking out in a world filled with Pokémon.

I reached out to Rapidash's head and felt the heat of its mane. I slightly brushed the edges of the flames and felt an intense heat, though it didn't burn me upon contact.

I pulled back anyway.

"Told you." Chelsea deadpanned.

Rapidash gave me the same weird stare.

I wonder if I would have some kind of arc about winning Rapidash's trust, being some kind of summoned hero it would fit to befriend every random side character that isn't straight up the antagonist.

The flames didn't immediately burn me, it was just really hot. Was this a sign of hidden power? Some kind of natural affinity for friendship with random Pokémon?

Luxray sent me another glare for no apparent reason.

Or maybe not.

"What did I do to deserve such a mean look?" I asked Luxray, more out of boredom than actual interest.

Hylla's Pokémon had taken her orders seriously and the three of us couldn't move our asses without being stopped by Luxray.

Ralts was silently watching the two Pokémon while Chelsea was still sitting in silence.

Now my only conversation partners were a Rapidash and a Luxray.

"So how did you and Hylla meet?" I asked both Pokémon.

Nothing.

"Tough crowd." I muttered.

And that's how the entire afternoon passed, me trying to have a conversation with the two Pokémon.

When Hylla came back the sun was already setting.

Her Charizard landed next to us and Hylla returned all Pokémon back to their Pokéballs and thanked them like all trainers did in the anime.

"So," Hylla said cheerfully and revealed herself to be holding a paper bag, "I brought dinner."

"The man," Chelsea ignored the food, "How is he?"

"He'll live." Hylla said, which would be funny if the man hadn't been bleeding in front of our eyes.

"So what happened to him?" I asked, "How did he get wounded like that?"

"He's still unconscious," Hylla said, "But it's something you won't have to worry about."

"That's when I worry the most." I joked, no one laughed. Probably because they didn't catch the reference and not because my sense of humor sucks.

We made our way towards the hospital while the sun was just touching the horizon. While we were walking up the hill Ralts had managed to fall asleep.

When we reached the hospital I went upstairs and opened one of the empty patients rooms to grab the pillows and blankets.

After collecting everything I went back to my own bedroom and placed the blankets and pillows on the ground and managed to make it look comfy.

I put Ralts down and she happily tugged at the blanket, a satisfied smile written on her face.

Before I went down I took a glance at the Pidgey cam and saw it hadn't been moved, it was still sitting in the same chair

Downstairs Hylla revealed she had brought along noodles from a restaurant in Sandgem town, when I arrived the two sisters were already eating in silence.

Hylla handed me a bowl of noodles and I began eating them.

I don't really dislike silence but I hate awkward silence.

Still, I wasn't going to say anything.

It became even worse when Chelsea went upstairs to her bedroom midway through dinner. It wasn't that late yet but I guessed that finding the bleeding man in the alley was shocking and took its toll.

It left me alone with Hylla and her undivided attention. The moment Chelsea was gone Hylla fixed her intense purple eyes on me.

"So Dust, what are you thinking?"

That I am in grave danger and you're definitely hiding something.

"Not much," I replied, "Just wondering how you got such awesome Pokémon."

"Aaah," Hylla said with a nostalgic look in her eyes, "They've been my friends for a very long time and I agree. They are quite magnificent."

"You were a Pokémon trainer?"

"Indeed, I even did the entire Gym challenge." Hylla said with a smile, "Though I stopped when I had collected 5 badges."

"Why?" I asked and Hylla's gaze intensified with at least 50%.

"Do you know about our parents?" Hylla asked, the smile slightly dropping.

I did, Chelsea had told me but was I gonna share that I knew it? There was of course the risk that Chelsea and Hylla talked and then my lie would be found out if I said no.

"Yes. Chelsea told me this was your parents' hospital but they're no longer here."

"Well, Chelsea did tell you." Hylla said with an amused smile that was totally not creepy. "Seems like she trusts you quite a bit if she trusts you with that."

Or she is a young girl with no friends, damaged by her parent's death and latches onto the first parent/brother figure she can find which turns out to be a 16 year old boy with memory problems.

I decided not to share that perspective.

"Yeah, I guess." I said, "So I assume you stopped with the entire Gym challenge when they passed away and you inherited the hospital?"

Hylla chuckled, "That's a reasonable deduction but not quite yet. My parents passing away happened later, nah I stopped the Gym challenge because I received a better offer."

Hylla didn't elaborate on what said offer was and I didn't feel brave enough to ask.

Hylla's interrogation seemed to be over because she relaxed a bit more and we had some small talk for the rest of the evening.

Hylla and I cleaned up the dishes together and I went to bed, wondering what kind of twists and turns the next day would bring.

Strangely enough the following two days nothing special happened.

No bodies, no mysteries just me doing my thing and recovering.

Ralts and I kept training Empathy sense so she could find people and Pokémon even when blindfolded and we made some progress, same for Confusion.

We practiced different formations with the rays like walls and trenches and to my delight we managed to stack multiple low power Confusion ontop of eachother, firing them so rapidly that they were basically placed into each other.

They had the same speed as normal low power Confusion but they did double the damage of a full force Confusion.

It could be useful for setting up traps, we could shoot a stacked-slow Confusion and later push the opponent into said ray with a full force one.

The stacked rays were a really good knock out option so that did put a smile on my face.

While we were training that day Ralts suddenly let out a burp which made her face turn red in embarrassment.

I thought she had eaten something wrong that morning but apparently wasn't it.

Ralts burped a second time, making her turn even redder but the third time…

Her mouth opened but instead of a burp a funnel of wind came out of it.

I thought something was seriously wrong so I had woken up Hylla to ask what's wrong, considering her past as Pokémon trainer she was bound to have some basic knowledge.

Turns out, Ralts had accidently learned a new move: Disarming voice.

Guess all the spamming and training was good for something after all.

Disarming voice was not really what I wanted but it was still decent.

It was a lot like Confusion but faster and it reminded me of the Canary Cry from Arrow.

The funnel of soundwaves she produced was activated faster than a full force Confusion but it didn't have the same long reach Confusion had but was shorter.

It was slightly stronger than a full force Confusion but it didn't give any status affects nor did it last as long as Confusion. Disarming Voice could be used to throw out a fast attack and then follow up without having a cooldown but it exhausted Ralts more than Confusion, way more.

A plus point for Disarming Voice was that it had a physical effect beyond being just energy.

The high amplitude of the soundwaves could be used to deflect incoming attacks but also projectile based attacks.

The best part though was that the scream was deafening and if we could apply it at the right time we could make our opponent's communication with their trainer impossible.

In the games it had an always hit effect like swift but I wasn't sure how that worked in the real world, still, the move was decent and was versatile in its own way even though it had only one power setting (being full force).

Nonetheless, I praised Ralts for learning the new move.

The second day we didn't do anything special either, just some more training and I played a few games of Chess with the two sisters.

They were both quite good, I managed to beat Chelsea around half of the time and I tried to teach Ralts how to play.

She was horrible at it but she looked absolutely adorable while trying to move the pieces.

Hylla however was extremely good at Chess and I did not even manage to get close to beating her. It made me suspect she was some kind of human Porygon hybrid.

The two days were quite relaxed compared to the first 2 days and it made me wonder if the universe had cut me some slack.

On the fifth day of my stay at the hospital (not counting the three days I was unconscious) I had my first Pokémon battle, or to be precise; a double battle.

* * *

"I can't wait to see their faces once we win." Chelsea said while walking next to me.

"Don't know if we will win." I cut down her hopes.

"Ralts." Ralts disagreed with me.

"Just saying," I said, "We both haven't battled before. Have to be realistic."

"You two have a decent chance to win." Hylla interjected, "Melon and Thomas only battle each other for fun and neither side has a huge type advantage over the other. You trained your ass for the last 3 days and you." She pointed at Chelsea, "have a very versatile Pokémon for a first battle."

Ah, Chelsea's mystery Pokémon.

Chelsea had told me her Pokémon was more for company than for battling but the fact that I hadn't seen said Pokémon since I'm here made me suspect I replaced the mystery Pokémon in its role for companion.

Must suck to be stuck in a ball because a blue haired kid showed up and is better companionship, although didn't a Pokémon Sun and Moon developer revealed that being inside a Pokéball was like a staying in a fancy hotel suite?

The battlefield near the town's square was big enough for a 2 on 2 battle, which was very convenient.

Apparently Chelsea had run into Melon (read stalked) and challenged the two kids to a double duel. They agreed and we decided to have our battle here.

Thomas and Melon arrived and we exchanged the basic pleasantries.

Melon was a blond girl with freckles, same for Thomas except he was a boy. I estimated them around 14-15 and apparently they were brother and sister.

The pair took place on the opposite side of the battlefield, Chelsea and I mirrored them and Hylla walked to the sidelines.

"I'll be the referee of this battle," Hylla yelled. "Melon and Thomas Grasslinger vs Dust Wildfire and Chelsea Shiner. Each participant uses 1 Pokémon and the battle ends when one team is out of Pokémon. Start!"

Huh, their last name is Shiner, never asked for their last name.

"Go Fennekin!" Melon yelled.

"Go Starly!" Thomas yelled, huh. It seemed like they switched Pokémon. Last time I saw them battling they had it the other way. Maybe they shared their Pokémon with each other?

The siblings threw their Pokéballs and in a flash the two Pokémon appeared.

A small fox appeared in front of Melon and a small bird Pokémon stood in front of Thomas.

"Ralts!" I yelled dramatically. "I choose you!"

Ralts stepped forward and confidently strode onto the battlefield. It was such a difference between the Ralts I found in the forest being attacked by the Zigzagoon and the Ralts that was now prepared to take on any challenger.

The sight alone made my chest swell with pride.

"Chimchar!" Chelsea yelled and threw her Pokéball.

In front of her appeared a chimpanzee like creature whose tail was literally just fire.

This world is insane, but beside that...Chelsea has a fucking Chimchar? How?

One of the Sinnoh starters? Now that was some bullshit going on.

"You have a Chimchar?" I whispered, not wanting to give away how inexperienced we were.

"A gift from Hylla," Chelsea answered, "Now let's kill the competition."

Poor word choice aside she was right, my mind shifted mental gears and went full battle mode.

"You two can start." Thomas offered with a smile.

"Chelsea you go for Fennekin, I'll take on the Starly." I said and she nodded.

Ralts would be able to deal with the superior air mobility of Starly while Chimchar would be left at its mercy.

"Ralts, fire three Confusions at Starly!" I said and Ralts complied.

She shot three purple rays, each one parallel from the other.

"Chimchar use scratch!" Chelsea cried out.

The three purple rays would force Starly to move up, or backwards to get out of their range.

"Starly!" Thomas yelled. "Fly up and do a Wing Attack!"

"Fennekin, meet Chimchar's attack with an Ember!" Melon countered.

Starly flew up and dodged the three rays and flew towards Ralts, its wings glowing white.

"Ralts wait!" I commanded and Ralts didn't move out of Starly's path.

Just before it would crash into Ralts I shouted. "Ralts, side step to the left and hit it with Disarming Voice."

Ralts nodded and it was like I was watching a slow motion movie, Ralts stepped to the left and twisted her body out of it's line of flight. As the Starly passed Ralts' previous location Ralts opened her mouth and a funnel of sound waves crashed into the bird Pokémon.

Starly was hit point blank and it let out a cry as it was shot through the sky and crashed down on Chelsea's side of the battlefield.

Chimchar had jumped over Fennekin's Ember and landed in front of Fennekin and retracted its arms to start the move Scratch.

However Melon was not stupid, she commanded Fennekin to cancel the Ember and meet it head on with Tackle.

Fennekin's yipped and slammed forward, its own momentum throwing Chimchar of balance.

Chimchar was knocked backwards and a few seconds later Starly landed with an impact next to Fennekin, being thrown across the battlefield with my point blanc Disarming Voice.

Starly was not knocked out like I had hoped it would be.

"Pull Chimchar back to our half of the battlefield." I told Chelsea the same moment Thomas gave Starly his next order.

"Hit Chimchar with Quick Attack!"

"Fennekin, assist Starly with a Tackle of your own." Melon added.

It was a smart move, Chimchar was the nearest and easiest target and Ralts wasn't close enough to hit with any melee ranged attack and every ranged attack would hit Chimchar as well.

Haha, bold of them to assume I cared about things like friendly fire.

Luckily Chelsea followed my advice. "Chimchar, pull back!"

The two Pokémon prepared to give him a chase, however, Fennekin was about to Tackle and Starly was about to do a Quick attack.

"Ralts! Shoot Chimchar with a full force Confusion, then follow up with 3 stacked Confusions!"

"DUST!" Chelsea cried out bit I kept my eyes on the battle.

Ralts, being the good girl she was, didn't even hesitate to shoot her allie. She charged up a Confusion and after two seconds a big purple ray sped towards the Chimchar.

As the ray shot towards the three clustered up Pokémon Chimchar was hit by Starly's Quick Attack, next to Starly was Fennekin, ready to follow Starly's attack up with an Tackle of its own.

Before Fennekin could hit Chimchar the purple ray slammed into them.

It would have hit all three combatants if it wasn't for the fact that Chimchar had been knocked out of range by Starly's Quick Attack.

Quick Attack always hit first, wasn't sure if that would work in the real world as well but it was at least faster than Confusion.

The two Pokémon fell to the ground, their momentum completely destroyed by the purple ray.

Chelsea finally caught on to what had happened and smiled. "Chimchar, jump up and hit them with Ember!"

"Chimchar!" Chimchar yelled for no apparent reason and it jumped up in the sky and midair opened its mouth and bolts of fire shot down at Fennekin and Starly.

"Fennekin!" The fox cried out which made me feel bad, but only a small bit.

When the Ember stopped Chimchar landed a small distance away, claws out.

Just in time for a slow stacked purple ray to hit the two Pokémon.

It had taken them a few seconds to cross the field but Chimchar had kept them occupied.

I held my breath to see if they would get up and a painful 5 seconds passed but the two Pokémon kept lying on the floor.

I chuckled, all the pieces had fallen in place.

Thomas and Melon were watching with widened eyes…

Chelsea had a smug smile on her face, though I knew she was surprised as well because her hand was trembling.

I for my part resisted the urge to laugh out loud like a maniac.

Hylla raised her arm. "Dust Wildfire and Chelsea Shiner win!"

**A/N Surprisingly it took 8 chapters to have the first Pokémon battle in a Pokémon fanfiction, anyway I decided to rename all chapters, nothing too important.**

**-CaptainMoonShine-**


	9. Attack

**Chapter 9:**

**Attack**

Remember what I said about Pokémon battles being glorified dog fights?

I hereby retract my statement because Pokémon battles are fucking awesome.

The moment Hylla declared Chelsea and I won, I understood why the people in this world were obsessed with Pokémon battles.

I felt adrenaline rush through my body and by the name of Arceus did it feel good.

The entire fight was like Ralts and I were one, part of one big machine that could only work if all parts were perfectly in sync.

Nothing mattered except the thrill of the fight.

And the moment that Hylla declared us victorious?

It felt like getting a perfect speedrun, finding a shiny legendary, winning a tournament after months of practice or beating the final boss of a game after a long battle. All that combined was not even close to the feeling of winning a Pokémon battle.

I could talk about the feeling for days but you get the point.

That moment, I decided that I was going to become the best Pokémon trainer in this world, not for the sake of it but because I wanted to win on the highest stage possible, to get the same feeling as before with a thousand eyes watching me and have the Gods of the Pokémon world watch in awe.

...Oh no, I am developing a God Complex.

And yes, I do realize that beating Melon and Thomas was this world's equivalent of beating up the Bug catchers at the start of every Pokémon game but remember; even Julius Caesar started his career by claiming his own spot on the couch, I think.

"We won," Chelsea said bewildered, one look at her told me she had felt the same rush of the battle too.

"Well, it seems you two won." Thomas said and pulled out his Pokémon and called back Starly. "You did great." he whispered to the Pokéball before shrinking it and putting it away.

Melon followed her brother and Fennekin disappeared in a red light.

Chelsea and I walked towards our two Pokémon who were waiting for us.

Ralts was standing with a smug smile on her face, not a scratch on her. Chimchar for his part was happily bouncing up and down and if I narrowed my eyes enough I could call it dancing.

Chimchar looked worse, he had slight burn marks from Fennekin's Ember and his fur was all messed up.

It could have gone a lot worse, if Ralts' Confusion would be too late or not hit at all, Chimchar would have been out of the fight and Ralts would have to fight two opponents, one which could attack from the air and the other one could attack from the ground.

"Ralts." Ralts greeted me calmly, folding her tiny arms in front of her chest and striking a pose that said: 'No problem at all.'

I knelt down, grinning. "Now, who's da best?"

Ralts tried to keep her badass facade going but failed after 2 seconds. She lunged forward to give me the biggest hug yet all the while squealing her own name repeatedly.

Next to me, Chelsea complimented her own Chimchar.

"This was your first battle?" Melon asked as she walked towards us, "Because that was so awesome!"

Chelsea grinned, "Of course we were awesome what did you expect?"

I laughed and stood straight, Ralts still clinging to my chest."You two were doing great too. turning the tables by focusing on Chimchar with both Pokémon. Really smart."

I placed Ralts and Chelsea copied me being very original.

"Well if you want a rematch anytime soon, we are up for it!" Thomas said as he walked towards us. "But now we have to go home and explain why both our Pokémon are knocked out."

Both siblings shot us a smile and proceeded to head home.

"Well, well well," Hylla walked towards us, "You two did quite well."

She proceeded to give Chelsea a head pat which made Chelsea groan. Hylla shot me a grin, "And you Mister Mysterious, that was quite the daring move. Hitting Chimchar with a Confusion."

I shrugged. "It seemed like a good idea."

Hylla proceeded to give me a head pat as well, ruffling my blue hairs without even asking. "No need to be shy, that was a genius move."

She gave the Chimchar sitting on Chelsea's shoulder a curious look. "And you taught Chimchar Ember without ever battling? Seems like you really took good care of him."

Chelsea nodded. "Yes, Ember is really hot, so hot it could burn down a small town."

Sure, why not?

"So the Chimchar was yours?" I asked Hylla.

She nodded. "Yes. I gave it to Chelsea as a gift. Some time ago though, she never really battled with him."

So it was a male, good guesswork by me.

"How did you get it?" I asked curiously, if it used to be her Starter I would call bullshit on that. No one gets 5 Gym badges with an unevolved Chimchar that only knows two moves...unless she dumped it into the pc and left it to rot, does that option even exist in this world?

"Well, I have some connections." she answered with a mysterious smile.

Connections with the Sinnoh League by any chance?

"Anyway…" She cut the conversation off. "I got some cake in the fridge for the champions of today. We better start going before it's gone."

Hylla began walking back to the hospital with a smirk on her face.

That doesn't make any sense, it's in the fridge any-

"Ralts!" Ralts cried out panicked and pulled on my hair, urging me to follow.

"You don't even know how cake tastes." I deadpanned.

"Ralts!" Ralts insisted, Chelsea laughed at us and followed after Hylla.

Ralts pulled another hair lock.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm moving already." I rolled my eyes. "The cake better not be a lie."

* * *

One day later a letter arrived for me, along with it came a small package.

The letter was long and boring, giving me legal Sinnoh citizenship and the permission to become a Pokémon trainer and all the other boring stuff. The cool stuff, however, was inside the small cardboard package that came along with it.

It contained a small red-black device that I immediately recognized: A Pokedex.

It was the version they had in the Sinnoh League episodes and it reminded me of a DS but it was way cooler.

It came along with 500Pokédollars from the Team Rocket bounty which was stored on my personal bank account which was conveniently connected to my Pokédex.

Like I suspected the Pokédex was used as a Trainer ID, credit card and smartphone Hybrid (it also had some function to scan Pokémon but who cares about that anyway?)

I wanted to use it on Ralts but all the features besides identification and payment were locked and had to be unlocked by Professor Rowan which was a huge dick move from whoever programmed it.

My Pokédex didn't seem to be sentient but that could come later, if this was the game universe I could try to catch the Rotom at the haunted house in the Eterna Forest.

Not sure if I want a sentient smartphone but we'll see.

Even though almost all functions of my Pokédex were locked away I couldn't help but grin, finally, my journey was going somewhere.

I pulled Ralts away from her (failing) game of chess with Chelsea and explained to Ralts that we finally have money and although the concept of money was strange to her but my happiness was nonetheless.

I told Chelsea I was going out to town. Before she could invite herself I took Ralts on my shoulders to be faster and went to the store that sold everything one would need to start his own Pokémon journey.

I bought some clothes and a set of clothes specifically for sport and a deluxe backpack that had some bullshit going on with folding dimensions and nanotechnology which allowed it to store more stuff than it should.

I tried to find out how it worked but I couldn't really find anything, my guess that it was some lingering effect from a Pokémon move, sadly the store owner didn't know anything about it.

It did explain how the people in Pokémon could travel the world with nothing more than a backpack.

Next, I bought a camping set which came with a sleeping bag and some kind of electric cooking plate among other things.

It took me most of my money and I still hadn't bought Pokéballs and Potions but that kind of stuff could come later.

As I was walking through the town I couldn't help but feel happy, Ralts had picked up on my happy mood and was happily humming a song I didn't recognize while she sat on my shoulders.

The sun was just touching the horizon when Ralts suddenly pulled on my hair lock, so hard that it actually hurt.

"Ralts Ra Ralts." Ralts said cheerfully.

My heart froze, yet I kept walking as though nothing happened, I slowed my pace to the point it looked like I was getting tired instead of adjusting it because something was off.

I kept looking in the same direction I was walking but in I studied the edges of my vision, looking for something out of place.

'Ralts Ra Ralts', long-short long, aka: The morse version of S.O.S. That in combination with Paradoxical behavior meant one thing: someone was spying on us, someone with malevolent intentions.

When Ralts became good enough to detect people in hiding (namely me) I had taught her a 4 step protocol so we wouldn't let the enemy know we knew.

I first taught her not to freak out and act normal, if someone was potentially sneaking up on us she would give me a subtle sign. Something like pulling my hair, pinch me in the arm or send me a glare, something subtle to show something was wrong, immediately after that she would return to normal behavior and give me a cheerful "Ralts Ra Ralts." which meant S.O.S.

Ralts knows that I don't understand Pokéspeak but we both had defined this sequence in combination with all the previous signs as S.O.S. I had wondered what it actually meant in Pokéspeak but I guess it really depends on the context.

If this entire sequence was done within a second, it meant trouble.

I was now on high alert, still, for a bystander nothing would be out of the ordinary, just a trainer talking to his Pokémon.

Despite not knowing telepathy and human speech Ralts was quite smart, I'm not sure if its due to her species, Psychic typing or just her as an individual.

"So," I asked, "Have you seen Alex recently?"

'Alex', a codeword for trouble.

"Ralts." Ralts answered, _Yes._

And now the second part of the protocol, locating our hidden friend.

"Oh, and when do you want to see him again?" I asked feigning surprise. "Next week?"

"Ralts." Ralts said cheerfully.

'Next week', which meant something was in front of us, if Ralts had said answered No, it would mean something was behind us.

Next week or last week, simple code for in front of us or behind us.

I had discovered that Ralts had no concept of the weekdays, she had no clear distinction between Monday or Friday which makes sense considering she lived in a forest, I had taken it upon myself to teach her the days of the week.

It had taken me some time to explain why one would name 7 successive days only to start over at day 8. I told her that the weekend was cooler than the weekdays and that seemed to do the trick.

But now it served a second function too.

"Oh really," I chuckled, "And when do you want to see Alex again, during the week?"

"Ralts." Ralts answered with a tone that said No.

"Aaah, on the weekend." I laughed, "Dunno if Alex has time for us though I should call him to see if he's up for some training."

I tugged both my hands in my pocket, in my left pocket was the pocket knife I stole and in my right was Ralts' Pokéball, both ready to be drawn any moment.

The weekend meant something was on the right side of my vision, being the last part of the cycle.

The message was clear.

_SOS, someone in front of us, right side_

I casually observed my surroundings, we were walking in a pretty wide alley that would lead us out of the town and towards the hospital, though we were still a good 10 minutes away.

I checked the rooftops on my right side from the corner of my eyes and I spotted something.

Before I could even identify the shape something shot towards me.

I duck, throwing Ralts of my shoulders in the same moment as something passed over our heads and pinned itself in the wall behind us.

Ralts managed to land safely on her two feet and shot a glare at the rooftop.

Two more black things shot towards us but before they came close Ralts opened her mouth and activated Disarming Voice.

The soundwaves immediately stopped both projectiles and they fell onto the street.

I took a quick look at the fallen projectiles and I recognized it immediately, throwing knives.

I grabbed the nearest one and stood straight, took out Ralts' Pokéball with my free hand and prepared for battle.

Ralts placed herself in front of me, fist clenched and eyes narrowed

From the rooftops, a figure jumped down and landed around 10 meters (32,8 Feet) away from us.

He wore all black clothes but most notoriously was the red R printed on his uniform.

His face was hidden by the shadow of his cap but I could see a wicked smile on his face.

The man reached out to his pocket and pulled out a walkie talkie.

I was about to order Ralts to hit the guy with everything she got but before I could do that, the guy wordlessly dropped two Pokéballs and they landed in front of him.

The familiar white flash followed and I silently cursed.

Two different cries came a second later, one I was familiar with.

A Raticate appeared in front of the guy, it let out a screech and revealed a huge set of silver fangs.

However, the second flash brought something worse.

A black fox-like creature with yellow rings on its body appeared and again I recognized it.

Red eyes met mine and it let out a snarl.

Umbreon, the Dark-type evolution of Eevee.

Dark-type, the perfect counter for Psychic.

The man in front of us took his time as he made his call, perfectly aware of the fact I couldn't run nor attack him.

"We found the blue-haired brat, he was indeed at Sunbright Hospital. I caught him on his way back."

He waited for a response when he got one I sadly couldn't hear it.

"Okay," the man replied, "See you soon and over."

He lowered his walkie talkie and finally took the time to look at me.

"And now little boy," his smile managed to get even wider, "It's time to teach you why you don't mess with Team Rocket."

**A/N Short long Short is not Morse code for S.O.S but it's the opposite, short long short. However, being the only user of morse code in a world allows you some freedom.**

**Anyway, now we're entering the last part of the hospital arc.**

**And please tell me what you all think of the story.**

**Well, Cya all next chapter!**

**-CaptainMoonShine-**


	10. Counter Attack

**Chapter 10:**

**Counter Attack**

Confession time, I am a proud coward.

When things get too tough I will run and resort to cheating, live to fight another day you know?

Work your way up and play it safe, no need to be a hero if you die trying.

However I couldn't run, Ralts and I were most likely too slow to outrun an Umbreon.

I had a pocket knife in my left pocket and I had picked up the throwing knife, though I had no idea how to efficiently use it.

Ralts knew two moves, Confusion and Disarming Voice.

Confusion would work on Raticate but not on Umbreon.

Raticate would be a challenge on its own, being fully evolved and more experienced it would be very hard to beat Raticate. However Raticate in the end was most likely a simplistic enemy, I don't see a Raticate pull of some bullshit strategy anytime soon.

Umbreon however was the biggest threat, considering Pokémon Types I was in a disadvantage because Ralts could only use Disarming Voice on it which wasn't strong enough to fight a fully evolved Umbreon for more than a second.

Raticate was a dangerous foe but a relative simple one, like a knife was dangerous but simple. Umbreon would be an entire kit of weapons, all to be used to its own desires. I had no idea what kinds of attacks it knew but I doubted that the man would be this confident if his Umbreon only knows Tackle.

Umbreon was in every way more versatile, smarter and more powerful than both Raticate and Ralts. Also Umbreon looked generally very cool but that's beside the point.

I tried to view this problem from another angle.

If I could only remove the Team Rocket grunt from the equation it would almost be doable, almost being the keyword.

Point was; this guy looked way more competent than the two I had fought in the forest.

There had to be a solution, every puzzle had one and if it doesn't have an answer you brute force it.

Someone had sent me to this world (or something), there was no point in sending someone to another world if said person dies within a week.

I was hoping for a legendary Pokémon to show up, maybe one of the Legendary Beast from Jotho, Mewtwo hunting down the remnants of the organization that created him or maybe the Swords of Justice would show up and protect my Ralts (and by extension preferably me).

No one came, well that sucks.

The way to the hospital was blocked and I was pretty confident that turning my back to these guys would sign my death warrant.

If only the Team Rocket guy would vanish.

I considered throwing the knife I had picked up but throwinife was vastly different from throwing a rock, besides this person was skilled with a knife himself. It would be arrogant to think I could beat him at his own game.

A plan began to form. Not a good one, not even a complete plan but it was at least something.

I stared at the grunt in front of me, he was smiling like a psycho.

Ralts stood in front of me staring at both Pokémon, ready to battle at my command.

I enlarged the Pokéball in my right hand, "Well Ralts, it seems like we won't be able to practice Disarming Voice with Alex."

Ralts nodded, thinking she understood the hidden message: _Use Disarming Voice on the Team Rocket guy._

Before she could do it however I pressed the button in the middle of the Pokéball and recalled her.

Ralts let out a panicked cry as the red light engulfed her and she was transported back into the Pokéball.

It was clear she didn't want to be recalled but there was no point in keeping her out.

I felt the ball twist violently in my hand, she was trying to break out of it but I kept it closed.

"Maybe later." I said, I had no idea if Ralts could hear it but I hoped she could. People in the anime and in this world continuously talked to their Pokéball so I assumed she would be able to hear it.

With another press the Pokéball shrunk in my palm and it stopped shaking.

Did she understand it?

I put the shrunken Pokéball away in my pocket and moved my knife to my right hand.

"What are ye! Stupid! Puttin' ya Pokémen away like that." The Team Rocket grunt said.

I know that you are a villain but can you please not try to sound like one?

"Who are you and what do you want from me?" I asked angrily.

"Ya know who we are! Ya attacked our team mates and now it's time for Payback." He answered again with his weird accent, it couldn't be his real voice right?

"I don't even know who you are." I lied.

The man chuckled, "Stop playin' dumb brat, we know ya sabotaged our mission and its easy to find ya with hair likes yours."

I silently cursed my hair.

I shifted my position to be more relaxed, inside however I was shitting myself.

"So you did manage to find me?" I asked nonchalantly, "But why go after me anyway?"

"It's simple kido," He licked his lips, "Ya mess with us and we mess with you!"

That's it? Simple payback?

"You're here to kill me?" I stated.

"It's about sending a message. If we don't other stupid brats like ya might think they stand a chance and we can't have that."

I held the knife in my hand and prayed this would work.

"I would say nothing personal," The grunt said, "But I'm gonna enjoy this one!"

"Well," I answered with a smile of my own. "Then I won't have to feel guilty about returning the favor."

I retraced my right arm, preparing to throw the knife. The man grinned and he seemed to knew what I was about to do.

"After all, those who kill should prepare to be killed!"

And with those dramatic words I threw the throwing knife at the man.

It was a sloppy throw.

I threw it holding the shaft instead of holding the blade between my index and middle finger and the results showed.

As the knife was thrown towards the man it didn't spin properly, instead it pathetically twirled through the air without a clear direction.

Still, it would have hit the man, not hard but still a hit.

The man for his part moved out of the way, leaning to the left like he was in the Matrix or something.

As the knife moved passed him I saw him smirk at me, a sadistic gleam in his eyes; he was enjoying this humiliation.

The knife landed harmlessly behind him.

"Well that was disappointing." The man grinned.

Raticated cried out its own name while Umbreon kept silent.

"You can say that again pal." I said with a smirk of my own.

A woosh sound and a flash came from behind him and he turned around in surprise.

I wasted not a single second, I drew my pocket knife and flipped it open, next I made a mad dash towards him as he was distracted by what was going on behind him.

His Pokémon were clearly not expecting this, they were both staring wide-eyed as I ran towards them.

Behind the man the white flash formed into a small humanoid figure.

Ralts came out of her Pokéball and opened her mouth, her red eyes practically shining with anger.

I jumped over the Umbreon and Raticate who didn't even reach my tights with their small bodies.

A high pitched cry came out of Ralts' mouth and a funnel of high amplitude-audio waves crashed point blanc into the Team Rocket member.

The man fell backwards but a second later I slammed into him, my momentum from jumping over his Pokémon still carrying me, I kicked him down and landed on top of him.

Before he could even recover from Ralts' Disarming Voice I slammed my knife between his shoulder blades and twisted it, his uniform offered some protection but not nearly enough to protect him from my knife.

He screamed and my hand became slippery thanks to his blood.

I was worried his scream would attract more attention, unwanted attention.

"Confusion now!" I yelled and the man was hit by a purple ray and fell silent.

I jumped off him and kicked him in the face, I considered grabbing the pocket knife but if I did that nothing would stop his wound from bleeding and he might die.

He was unconscious but not dead, I preferred to keep it that way.

I instead grabbed the throwing knife I had just thrown and turned around to prepare for round two.

The plan had worked which was a miracle, Ralts had done as I had hoped and the man had played his part perfectly.

Ralts' orders had been to hit the man with Disarming Voice but before she could do it I had recalled her into the Pokéball which had upset her.

"Later" I had said, hoping she would understand I was keeping her inside the Pokéball not to protect her but because I had a plan.

Next, I shrunk her Pokéball and clenched it in my palm and pretended to put it away in my pocket while I actually had it still in my hand.

It was one of those silly tricks you would find a child's Magician box with 100 tricks and for some reason my mind thought it was important to remember it after 10 years.

One of those tricks was pretending to put a coin in your pocket and it would magically appear in your hand.

It was a dumb trick that I had learned and never used, until today.

I had moved the throwing knife to my right hand and at that point both items were in the same hand.

Step three, throwing it at the guy without him noticing I wasn't aiming at him and I was throwing a shrunken Pokéball at the same time.

My excessive foreshadowing of the throw added to the image of an overconfident child without an actual plan.

It wasn't all hope though, it was science too. I read somewhere that the human eye can only see a ridiculous small area and the rest is filled in by the brains by what we expect to see.

And that gamble had worked out, the man had dodged the knife and missed the shrunken Pokéball entirely.

The final part of my plan was to pin him between two attacks from both sides and hope that everyone would be too surprised to act.

And in the end it seemed my plan had worked.

What did Einstein say again? If you can't beat them, cheat them?

However there was no time to cheer because the second phase of the boss battle was about to unfold and I had no idea what to do.

Ralts took place in front of me, glaring at Raticate and Umbreon.

Shit, I had no plan for this part.

I didn't really stand a chance against either, maybe I could beat Raticate with luck and cheating but probably not Umbreon, let alone both at the same time.

Maybe I could try to fight with the knife but I suspected that it wouldn't do much harm considering Pokémon survived more lethal attacks on a regular basis.

What could I do, talk to them?

Well, Pokémon are sentient, some more than others, could I bullshit my way out of this?

"We're not looking for trouble." I tried weakly.

The Raticate took a step closer and opened its jaw threateningly, Umbreon followed but without making an obvious threat which was actually scarier.

"Raaallltss." Ralts said, urging me to decide on what to do.

A new idea popped up and I knelt down next to the unconscious man. Ironically enough the knife in his shoulder stopped him from bleeding to death which was quite more than he deserved.

I placed the throwing knife against his throat and looked at the two Pokémon, "One move and I will kill him."

They took another step.

Welp seems like they hold no love for Team Rocket. Why would one though? I mean it's Team Rocket no one likes them…

Okay, time for my third attempt.

I went through his pockets until I found what I was looking for, two Pokéballs. I enlarged them and stood straight and faced the two Pokémon again.

I considered recalling them but there was a chance they would break out and then I had no chance of winning at all.

I showed the two Pokémon their Pokéballs and they stopped walking.

"Your Pokéballs," I said, "I can crush them and give you two your freedom and we can all have a very nice day."

It was evening already but who cares?

Umbreon and Raticate gave me an awkward stare that made me feel uncomfortable.

"That's a yes?" I asked when none of them moved.

Umbreon and Raticate looked at eachother, apparently having a silent conversation, before gazing back at me.

Umbreon nodded and began walking back all the while keeping its red eyes focused on mine.

First I thought they agreed but Raticate hadn't moved from his spot and Umbreon had stopped moving when he was 15 meter (49.2 Feet) away from us.

"Ralts?" Ralts asked confused.

"Raaaaticate!" Raticate cried out and his claws came out.

"You want me to battle?" I asked the Umbreon incredulously.

Umbreon nodded.

"If I battle the Raticate you let us go?" I asked still confused as hell.

Umbreon shook his head, a no.

"We have to win?" I guessed.

Umbreon nodded and glanced at the two Pokéballs in my hand before looking at me.

"If we beat Raticate and crush the two Pokéballs you let us go?" I tried and Umbreon nodded.

So it was testing our strength, welp this world is already insane why not turn it up a notch.

Still it's the best chance I would get since this was at least a 1 on 1. Raticate would be hard to beat but not impossible.

"You think you can handle this Ralts?" I asked.

Ralts gave me a confident smirk and answered. "Ralts."

I turned my gaze back to Umbreon.

"Then lets battle!"

**Hope this chapter was good enough, anyway cya all!**

**-CaptainMoonShine-**


	11. Eradicated

**Chapter 11:**

**Eradicated**

* * *

The moon shone down on the alley where Destiny and I had a date; this would be the battle of minds, the legendary confrontation, the duel of fates, the battle against...a Raticate.

It felt pretty lame to be nervous about a battle against a Raticate.

In the games I wouldn't even give it a second thought and just kill it with 3 hits or less, now it was a battle that could end my life if I lost and was not fast enough to run away.

"Ralts, full force Confusion!"

Ralts waited for 2 seconds and then fired the Confusion.

The place we held our battle was less than preferable.

There was not a lot of space to move in the alley except away and towards the enemy.

Sure it meant that a full force Confusion would guarantee a direct hit if it could travel far enough to grow in size but I wasn't convinced that Raticate would go down this easy.

The Raticate indeed got hit but did not even flinch nor did he get the Confused status effect, he ran straight through the purple ray, tanked it and then shrugged it off like it didn't even hit and was now in a collision course with Ralts.

"Ralts Disarming Voice now!" I yelled but it was too late.

Ralts was too slow, due to the long cool down of a full force Confusion she only managed to do the move when the Raticate was already in her face.

Raticate slammed into Ralts and she was thrown backwards towards me and landed face first on the stone ground with a thud.

I had to resist the urge to draw my knife and engage in battle myself, one glare from Umbreon told me that the moment I would join the fight Umbreon would join too.

"Ralts," I said, "Shake it off, I know you can!"

I had no idea if she could get up but things like trust, encouragement and friendship seemed to push a Pokémons limit, or at least in the anime it worked.

Ralts let out a whimper and her small body began to move, Raticate was patiently watching it from a distance which was really considerate of it.

"RAAALLTTS!" Ralts cried out and pushed herself up, she stood straight and glared venomously at the Raticate.

"RAAAtttiicccaaatee!" Raticate let out an elongated cry and made another dash towards Ralts, this time instead of just charging forward it lowered its head while running, was it going to do a Headbutt?

Doesn't really matter, if a normal Tackle got Ralts in such a bad state I did not want Ralts to be hit again because that might be the end of us.

Okay, don't try to meet Ralts head on and try to avoid melee combat as much as possible. Try to outzone him and keep stacking up damage.

"Ralts, slow Confusion to the left, side step to the right and use Disarming Voice."

Ralts did as commanded and a purple ray appeared and traveled towards the edge of the alley, a second later Raticate was about to slam into her but she managed to hop to the right just in time.

She almost stumbled but managed to keep her balance and opened her mouth.

Sound waves hit Raticate right in the chest and he was thrown across the width of the alley and smashed into the wall where he was hit by the Confusion that had just arrived.

A hit by Disarming Voice in the face, a low power Confusion and a full force Confusion plus the damage of hitting the wall. But was it enough?

Raticate jumped to hit his feet and let out a triumphant cry.

Seriously? What does it take to put him under?

Ralts clenched her tiny fist in frustration but she was still standing.

The Raticate opened its mouth and a high-pitched screech followed.

The sound tore through my ears and I had to cover them to prevent myself from going deaf.

Ralts did the same thing and almost dropped to the floor but after a second the sound stopped.

Screech, Raticate just used Screech!

What does that mean? Has Ralts' defense been lowered like in the games?

Doesn't matter, the next serious attack would take her out anyway.

Okay retreat time!

"Ralts, run away to Umbreon's side of the battlefield and go with your back to the wall. Fire Confusion to cover your retreat."

Ralts fired three Confusions parallel to each other and began to run to the other side of the alley, firing a couple of purple rays every 3 seconds to cover her retreat.

The Confusions sped towards Raticate like some kind of flappy bird game in which the overgrown rat had to jump every few seconds to dodge the rays.

It managed to jump over the first one with ease and the second one too but he landed into the third one and was thrown into the wall, though not that hard.

I hoped for it to fall under the Confusion effect but it just shook its head a few times and he was ready for battle again.

He opened his mouth and a light yellow orb of energy appeared in front of it.

Oh fuck! A Hyper Beam!

"Ralts dodge!"

The ball of energy turned into a beam and shot towards Ralts who had already moved out of the way and the beam hit the brick wall behind her.

Ralts was safe but the wall wasn't, bricks and small pieces of stone were thrown around by the impact and one of the smaller bricks hit Ralts in the back of her head.

She stumbled forward and let out a cry, she fell on her knees (assuming she has knees) and was breathing heavily.

"Ralts get up!" I yelled. "You can still move, don't let a fucking rat get the better of you! You're too awesome to die this way!"

I really need to work on my speeches, however it still worked.

"Ralts." Ralts cursed as she got back up and sent another glare at Raticate.

"Perfect!" I complimented her, "Now show him why you are the best! Hit him with full force Confusion!"

Ralts started charging the Confusion but Raticate was on the move and charged across the alley towards her, his back was glowing with white energy.

Double Edge?! He knows Double Edge too?

"Cancel the Attack and wait." I yelled at Ralts and she nodded.

If the Confusion wouldn't be a one hit KO for Raticate then Ralts would be the one to get knocked out, not only that but the move would also slam her into the wall and might as well do even permanent damage.

Double Attack does massive damage at the cost of receiving ¼ of the done damage but I was pretty sure that Ralts would go down first.

Or this was an opportunity to turn the tables.

"Ralts wait until Raticate is close, then jump up and use Disarming Voice aimed down." I cried out as the Raticate had already run across half the alley.

Ralts nodded and narrowed her eyes, trying to time it perfectly. When Raticate was about to hit her Ralts jumped up and dodged it by only a hair.

Raticate for his part had it worse, he crashed into the wall full force and...ouch that's gotta hurt.

What did Newton's third law say again? When a moving object hits another object with force the same magnitude of force will be sent back in the opposite direction?

Now that's a lot of damage.

However we were about to do even more damage because Ralts opened her mouth while in the air and a high-pitched scream followed.

Sound waves crashed down on Raticate who couldn't even dodge because she was directly above it but that was not even the best part of it, the sound waves bounced back up towards Ralts and launched her even higher.

Being so close to a flat surface to rebound the sound waves and not being grounded could turn Disarming Voice into a repulsive force to launch her even higher.

Having seen this actually work, I began to consider all the new techniques we could create; we could use it to move across the battlefield faster and possibly catch airborne enemies by surprise.

I watched Ralts being launched higher by her own attack and she was twirling her arms in panic, trying to regain a sense of balance, and that moment I realized I made a small mistake.

Huh, I never explained the laws of physics to her?

Okay, that was not fair towards her. To be sent flying without a clear idea of how would be confusing as hell.

Ralts was launched 13 meter (42,7 Feet) up in the air before gravity decided to pull her back and she fell down.

I glanced at the Raticate, hoping he was knocked out by the barrage of attacks.

Raticate was slowly getting back to his feet, welp, can't have nice things in life.

If Ralts would hit the ground and gets knocked out then we would be out of the fight.

Ralts fell down, no longer twirling aimlessly but clear determination and...what the hell?

She was diving down, her body a straight line and her left arm held back like she was about to...O shit, she was about to punch the Raticate while falling down.

Her fist was clenched and glowing with energy, rays of light came from her fist as she opened her mouth and yelled:  
"RRAAAALLLLTTSSS!"

Her expression was locked in a combination of anger and despair as her momentum increased while she dove down.

Raticate looked up only to see a falling star crash down on him.

A second later Ralts landed with a bang and I couldn't see a thing, dust and debris were thrown around by the impact and blocked my vision and the uncertainty that followed made my heart stop for a short second.

The scene that unfolded before me made me almost gasp; Raticate was lying in a small crater, completely knocked out by the crash/punch.

Next to the crater stood Ralts, breathing heavily and looking worn out, still she was alive.

I ran towards her and knelt down, cursing myself for not having a potion ready.

"Ralts, are you alright?" I asked, immediately realized how stupid the question was. Of course she was not okay.

"RaRalts, Ralts Ralts." Ralts smiled and tried to hug my face, only to stumble forward. I caught her and took her in my arms and stood straight. "Now, that was the most awesome thing I've ever seen."

Ralts smiled proudly at me and muttered something I couldn't understand.

Umbreon moved from its spot and walked towards me, I thought it might attack me but instead it walked straight past us and towards the two Pokéballs which I had dropped when I ran towards Ralts.

Umbreon placed its front paw on the Pokéball and said: "Umbri."

Upon hearing its voice I decided it was a female.

"You want me to crush the Pokéballs right?"

She nodded and I smiled, relieved things worked out like they did.

I walked towards the two Pokéballs, carrying Ralts in my arm and Umbreon moved out of the way.

I placed my foot on the Pokéball and put all my weight on it.

It broke underneath my weight and electricity sparkled around the remains before even those sparks faded away.

Umbreon pointed towards the second Pokéball and I broke that one too.

When the final Pokéball was crushed I grabbed Ralts' Pokéball which was still lying on the ground, I shrunk it down again and put it away; this time for real.

I picked up the throwing knife and tried to find a place to put it but I didn't find a suitable one that wouldn't risk me cutting myself when reaching for it. I really missed my pocket knife but that one was still stuck in the guy's back and shit...it's easy to forget someone when he's lying next to you with a knife stuck in his back.

"Ralts…" Ralts said and she was right, I really had to get back to the hospital. I considered looting the guy for useful stuff but I was really getting impatient.

Umbreon nudged her head against my leg and pointed to the exit of the alley.

"Are you sure?" I asked, suddenly feeling like I should stay and do something. "You're ex-boss is still here, shouldn't I...I dunno get help?"

Umbreon shook her head and stepped on top of the guy, glaring at him and making it clear she had some words for him when he would wake up - assuming he would wake up.

"Okay, so if you kill him it's not considered my fault right?" I joked, feeling slightly unnerved.

Umbreon nodded and nudged me to leave again.

"Okay," I said, "Welp, goodbye was nice meeting you, sayonara and all that shit."

With those wise words I turned around and ran back to the hospital, leaving behind an unconscious Team Rocket member with a knife in his back, a knocked out Raticate, a vengeful Umbreon and a lot of property damage which was definitely not my fault.

This world is truly amazing.

I managed to reach the hospital within 3 minutes and stormed into the lobby where I found Hylla sitting behind the desk and Chelsea sitting on the desk, they were playing a card game together I didn't recognize.

They looked up in surprise when I entered the lobby.

I realized that moment I looked pretty bad, I was sweaty and my shirt had blood on it and some of that blood had gotten on Ralts while I was carrying her.

"So, who'd you kill this time?" Chelsea asked cheerfully, she was wearing a black dress that seemed to be a combination of a nightgown and a regular dress.

Hylla however was wearing her normal clothes despite it being dark outside, a white shirt and black jeans.

She immediately narrowed her eyes when she saw me.

"Explain now." she said with a cold tone.

"Got attacked," I said while trying to catch my breath, "Some kind of ninja-assassin attacked me. He was from Team Rocket. I had a battle with him and his Pokémon and now he's knocked out."

I pointed at Ralts. "She's in a pretty bad state."

An explosion came from outside and shook the entire building.

Seriously Fate? Can't you just give one second of rest?

I sighed. "They apparently followed me."

**A/N sorry for the pun in the chapter name.**

**So I guess either 1 or 2 more action chapters and 1-2 chapters to wrap up this arc and then I can finally start on my journey...assuming everything goes as planned.**

**Rewatched the Rise of Darkrai movie and man what are the two Pokémon weak, I mean they control time and space yet they rely on punching and shooting each other?**

**Also, did anyone really expect Darkrai to stay dead? The entire movie was kinda bad and boring, sure the action was cool-ish but most of the main cast wasn't doing anything until the very last part of the movie and Team Rocket was literally just there for being in the movie.**

**Well Cya all later!**

**-CaptainMoonShine-**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12:**

**Sky Encounter**

* * *

Hylla didn't waste a second, she opened the drawer behind her desk and pulled out a sleek black laptop.

I wanted to shout that now was not the time to do that but in the second I was processing that thought she had already logged in and was typing away faster than I thought was possible.

It was not an operating system I recognized but that was not strange, considering I'm not in the same universe anymore.

She typed something faster than I could read and closed the window, and she opened another window.

The window itself was divided in 4 parts, 3 of them showing live footage from outside and the fourth being black.

"We have cameras? Awesome." Chelsea said not at all disturbed.

Hylla didn't bother answering, instead she studied what was going on.

On the live footage we saw Team Rocket members walking up the hill, it could be seen from three different angles and they all showed the same thing.

They were surrounding the hospital.

Welp, time to prepare for trouble.

I could spot 6 Team Rocket members in total, they all had a variety of Pokémon though most of them did not looked threateningly.

They had a shitload of Zubat, Ratata and other pests like Pokémon that were not really a big threat.

Having lived in this world for almost a week made me less scared of them, sure they were dangerous but I have Ralts and my trusty knif- shit I need to get a new one as fast as I can.

Until then stick with kicking and running away.

However one of the Team Rocket Members had a Machamp with him and another one had a Ursaring which was concerning.

Hylla closed the laptop and pulled out three shrunken Pokéballs and threw them to the floor, enlarging them in the process.

With a flash Charizard, Luxray and Rapidash appeared.

They each let out their generic cry, Charizard's sounding a bit anxious and Luxray sounded like it was ready to battle.

Rapidash stayed silent, weird shit I know.

"You're gonna fight them?" I asked.

"Not exactly." Hylla said and turned to her Pokémon. "The hospital is under siege by Team Rocket members, go stall them but avoid direct combat. Charizard-"

Charizard perked up. "After two minutes you create a Smokescreen big enough to cover the entire hill, Rapdidash keep the Smokescreen up using Tail Whip and keep attacking and on the move."

Rapidash stared blankly.

"And you two," Hylla ignored the stare and turned to Luxray and Charizard. "Come back here as soon as the Smokescreen is up. GO!"

It sounded like a weird plan to me but Hylla seemed to know what she was doing.

Charizard and Luxray roared triumphantly and Rapidash neighed which actually surprised me.

They turned around to leave, I briefly wondered how Charizard would leave the building considering its size but it stormed through a wall without much consideration.

"This place is going to turn into a battlefield soon anyway." Hylla said without much concern when she saw Chelsea and I staring at the gaping hole in the wall.

We heard the sound of an ongoing battle coming from outside. They were still a distance away but too close for my liking.

"So," I said, "If you plan to fight them just so you know, my Ralts is in a bad shape."

"Ralts." Ralts agreed, lying comfortably in my arms.

Hylla opened her magical drawer again and pulled out a weird purple bottle with a spray head mounted on top.

Wow, that's a potion.

She tossed it at me and I managed to catch it without dropping Ralts. "Spray it on her and it should heal the wounds, it's not a replacement for an actual Pokécenter but it's a good temporary solution.

"Ralts?"

I began spraying, it apparently tickled because Ralts tried to suppress a chuckle.

"So, we're going to fight them?" Chelsea said, then yawned which was kinda misplaced.

A loud crackle tore through the air and interrupted Hylla's answer.

Hylla waited till the sound of crackling electricity faded away and began to explain.

"We're not going to fight them," Hylla said matter of factly, "They are after you Dust,"

Hylla turned to me.

"So, what should I do?" I asked, truly having not a clear idea of what to do.

"You and Chelsea are going to fly away while I fight the Team Rocket members and keep them occupied so the two of you can make an escape." Hylla said confidently.

"We're going to fly!?" Chelsea asked.

"You're going to fight them alone?" I asked at the same time.

"Ralts!?" Ralts imitated me.

Another explosion shook the building and I almost fell to the floor. Chelsea hopped off the desk to have a better footing.

"They are here for you to get revenge, you and Chelsea are the most vulnerable. If you two fly away on Charizard while I keep them busy I won't have to worry about you two. Help should arrive in 14 minutes, the Smokescreen will hopefully feed them the illusion you are still here."

It sounded like a solid plan to me, I love fleeing and if Hylla was confident she could hold out till help arrives I was all in, still if we left on Charizard Hylla would be left with only two Pokémon.

"I still have Luxray and Rapidash so I won't be alone. Besides I won't have to win, just to sit out the time and give off the illusion of a battle."

Hylla was so calm it was almost freaky, the sounds of an ongoing battle kept coming closer and I heard people shouting outside.

A continued barrage of attacks hit the building and I heard things on the top floor fall, though it looked like the building withstood most of it.

"Chimchar is still upstairs!" Chelsea suddenly gasped.

"Go get him." Hylla ordered and Chelsea stormed up the stairs.

Ralts was now in a better state so I moved her to sit on my neck so I had my hands free.

"So, 100% sure you can handle the situation?" I asked anxiously.

Hylla smirked. "Don't forget I'm a Pokémon trainer too. So don't break a sweat, just make sure you and Chelsea make it safely to Twinleaf town's police station, Charizard knows the way."

"Wait, why not Sandgem town?" From my understanding Sandgem town was bigger than Twinleaf town so I would head to that place, assuming they had more people.

"Twinleaf town is smaller but still has a decent sized police department but less chance of infiltration by Team Rocket."

"Infiltration?"

Another explosion shook the building.

"The Team Rockets must have used a leak or something to track you down, Twinleaf town is too insignificant for Team Rocket and thus safer." Hylla said matter of factly.

"Got it!" Chelsea cried out as she ran down the stairs, holding a Pokéball.

"Okay, are you two ready to take flight?" Hylla smiled.

"Small problem," I said, "I don't know how to ride a Charizard."

"Don't worry, it'll come naturally."

A loud roar came from outside and I heard again electricity crackle through the air.

"Oohhh...they brought a Rhyhorn along, how interesting." Hylla said recognizing the sound apparently.

"So, where are we flying to?" Chelsea asked, sounding slightly scared.

"Twinleaf town." I answered.

"Okay, everyone ready to go?" Hylla asked, clapping her hands together.

"Except for the part of not knowing how to fly, yes!" I said with sarcasm.

Just as I said that Charizard and Luxray entered the lobby, Charizard did not have a scratch but Luxray's mane was ruffled and dirty from whatever fight he just had.

Charizard huffed as it stopped in front of Hylla.

Black, thick smoke flowed through the gaping hole in the wall and made it impossible to see through.

I heard sounds of panic coming from outside, followed by cries of pain.

Guess Rapidash was doing a good job.

"is Smokescreen covering the entire place?" Hylla asked Charizard and the dragon nodded.

"Okay, everyone move to the side." Hylla commanded and we followed, not wanting to get hurt by whatever she was cooking up.

"Luxray, Charge Beam straight up through the middle of the roof."

"WHAT!?"

Luxray's body began generating electricity, yellow-electric arcs sprung to life around its body and a net of electricity formed before it all was focused on one point above Luxray's head.

"Cover your eyes." Hylla said and I did as I was told.

I didn't see what happened but I could see the flash straight through my closed eyelids, when I opened them a hole big enough to fly through had appeared in the roof, going straight through the second floor and cutting a bed in the process.

A pile of rubble had formed around the hole but most of it was apparently annihilated by the electric beam of energy.

"Huh, that worked."

"Raaaltts."

"What the hell?"

Hylla didn't even blink. "Luxray, go outside and assist Rapidash, I'll join you two soon."

Luxray roared and ran away, back into the smoke.

"Okay, Charizard," Hylla turned towards Charizard, "I need you to bring these two to Twinleaf town for safety, can you do that for me?"

Charizard stared at the two of us.

I stared back at it, not sure what to say or to do.

The dragon huffed but it lowered its back and folded its wings open, allowing us to climb on top of it.

"Now," Hylla said turning to us," Charizard is not used to the weight of two people so don't expect too much okay?"

"Yeah yeah yeah," Chelsea said impatiently, "Now I wanna ride."

Hylla ignored it and pointed at me, "Climb on Charizard's back and place your feet around the neck."

A series of explosions were coming from outside and I saw that the smoke was slowly but surely fading away.

I quickly complied and mounted the dragon which was scary as fuck.

It kept shifting its weight making me wonder if it would attack me if I said the wrong thing.

Still, I managed to sit on top of it and swung my legs over the joins where his wings were connected to his shoulder so I would not restrict it's movement.

It was not really comfortable, a combination of Charizard being kinda scary, the dragon's body being kinda hot (probably due to its Fire typing) and Charizard itself being nervous as well making me even more afraid.

Ralts folder her legs around my neck and her arms around my head, effectively securing her own position.

Chelsea followed and sat between the shoulder joints and wrapped her arms around my middle which made me realize how stupid this way of flying was.

If I fell Chelsea and Ralts would fall too, which didn't put pressure on me at all.

"This is awesome!" Chelsae cried out, making herself more comfortable.

"No, it's not."

"Okay, hold on tight." Hylla grinned. "Well, see you all in Twinleaf town!"

She turned around and before I could even protest or ask more questions Charizard flapped its wings 2 times and shot straight up in the sky.

It should've been impossible, taking off like that but Pokémon ignored the laws of physics on a daily basis.

Wind and gravity tried to peel me off Charizard's back as we shot up and I almost fell because I didn't anticipate the G-force of going straight up.

I couldn't even scream, Ralts was strangling my throat in an effort to not fall to her death and Chelsea was trying to crush my ribcage.

I slightly turned my head and could see the hospital, it was a full moon which was beside being ominous also really useful for seeing what was going on.

The entire hospital and the hill it was build on was covered in smoke making a stark contrast with the clear night sky.

Through the black smoke I could see lightning ripp across the landscape, zapping multiple opponents at the same time.

A trail of bright flames flashed through the smoke without a clear pattern, striking enemies who were too slow to even react to the burning horse.

The hospital looked worse than when I had arrived, the back part of it had collapsed and it had a huge hole in the roof.

Why do I have the feeling I'm partly to blame for this?

Charizard roared and we broke through the clouds, I felt the air condense on me but it was thrown off by our ridiculous speed which was at least a small positive of this horrible experience.

Okay, that was exaggerated. Flying on Charizard was awesome but it was scary and not at all relaxing, probably because my two passengers.

When we finally achieved the right height Charizard stopped flying vertically and switched to flying horizontally which was way better.

I let out a sigh of relief as Charizard slowed its speed and I could breathe again.

"Welp," I yelled to no one in particular. "That was fun."

"I know right!" Chelsea said, still trying to break my ribs.

I wasn't particularly scared of heights, sure they made me uncomfortable but that made me want to overcome that fear by going even higher. Still, this was the highest I've ever been in my life.

I managed to make myself even more comfortable by slightly leaning over and placing my hands on Charizards neck which I couldn't do before without risking to fall down.

Below us we only saw white clouds covering the earth, a small gap in the clouds revealed we were flying above a forest.

It made me wonder how Charizard knew where to go, did it read the stars or something? The clouds blocked everything that could indicate where we were going.

For about 2 minutes we flew relaxed and I was actually enjoying it, that was until Fate decided to fuck me over again.

"Raaaaallltts" Ralts let out a panicked cry.

"What?" I cried out, "How? We're flying fucking high."

"What -what?" Chelsea asked confused.

"Ralts senses someone following us." I explained and I tried to see where our enemy could be but I saw nothing except clouds.

Then the sound came and I immediately knew what was coming.

Ultrasonic cries filled the air and I looked behind me.

A swarm of Zubat broke through the clouds and it was immediately noticeable.

Their screeches filled the air as they began to give chase and there were so many that I couldn't even count them, how many did Team Rocket even have?

I guessed about a hundred of them but I had no idea if that number was accurate or exaggerated by my own fear and imagination.

They flew with no particular pattern but all clustered up in one screeching mass of flapping wings that had a clear intention of chasing us.

They began firing attacks at Charizard, purple rays and blades made of wind flew past us as they tried to take us down but Charizard dodged them as expertly as it could without moving too suddenly and risk throwing us off its back.

"Zubat!" I cried out and Chariazrd began to fly faster but the speed was dramatically slower.

Was it getting tired?

The swarm was gaining on us.

"Chelsea," I asked, "Why isn't it doing anything about the zubat"

"It's a she," Chelsea yelled, trying to be heard but the wind generated by Charizard's increasing speed was making it hard to have a conversation. "And no, why don't you ask her?"

Charizard gave me an annoyed huf, then suddenly glided down and another barrage of attacks flew over our head.

"How do you even tell the difference between a male and female Charizard?" I muttered annoyed.

"The horns." Chelsea answered apparently hearing it.

"Rraaaalllttts!" Ralts yelled panicked, not contributing to conversation.

I leaned forward to talk to Charizard. "Charizard," I asked. "Can't you get rid of the swarm with Flamethrower?"

She gave me a wary look and shook her head.

"Why not?"

I mean, isn't Flamethrower super powerful? One good hit should be able to take down at least most of the swarm, leaving the survivors to be picked off one by one.

The swarm was now around 40 meter (131 Feet) behind us and I could even see a few Golbat flying in the swarm, the attacks were now getting closer to hitting us.

Charizard demonstrated the reason why she couldn't get rid of the swarm, she turned around mid air and opened her mouth.

A beam of flames tore through the night sky and it was beautiful...but also utterly useless.

I immediately understood why Charizard couldn't get rid of the swarm, the moment Charizard turned around the swarm scattered, apparently smart enough to know the danger of a Dragon type Pokémon.

Charizard turned back and began to fly away again, trying to gain speed but being in a disadvantage by Chelsea and I riding on her back.

So it seems like Charizard couldn't turn around fast enough to face the swarm before it scattered, or maybe it could but didn't dare too because that might throw us off her back.

Same for going faster, we were limiting its movement options by just sitting on her back.

If only…

Charizard slightly turned her head to give me "told you" look and focused her attention on dodging attacks again.

The swarm had continued it's attack like nothing happened and was now coming even closer.

I leaned forward to talk to Charizard. "Charizard," I yelled. "I have a plan to deal with the Zubat."

Charizard gave me a skeptical look.

"Do you trust me?" I asked as I began to consider all the possibilities.

The Charizard shook her head clearly saying no...okay, ouch.

"Do something!" Chelsea yelled.

"I'm trying." I gritted my teeth.

"Look," I faced the dragon again. "I have a plan, I know you don't trust me but we're kinda in a bad spot."

Charizard didn't even pay me attention.

Still, the swarm kept getting closer and the attacks were still raining down on us.

The ride was also getting more uncomfortable as Charizard was forced to make weird maneuvers to dodge the attacks.

I tried again. "You need to trust me this once," I yelled. "Hylla told you to bring us to safety and right now you are not going to make it."

Charizard groaned and shot me an annoyed look.

The best moment to have a deep conversation is of course while sitting on a dragon's back and escaping a swarm of flying rodents. "If Hylla's sister dies it's going to be your fault, you do realize that?"

Charizard shot me a glare, good at least I got some reaction out of her.

"I think I know something but I need you to listen to me or it will fail. Nothing to lose, right?"

Another windblade passed over our heads and almost hit us.

Charizard's gaze passed over me and Chelsea, she suddenly dove down and up and dodged another barrage of attacks.

They were getting closer and closer and I was not sure if Charizard could keep dodging like that, I had no idea how she knew what direction to dodge towards but I didn't trust her to keep doing that perfectly, especially not as the swarm drew closer and their accuracy improved.

"Look if it fails you can eat me yourself now good?" I said, raising the stakes.

I didn't mention the fact that if my plan would fail we would be screwed anyway, it's about the symbolism anyway.

Charizard gave me one final look before nodding and gazing in front of her again to see where she was going.

"Zard." she muttered.

Bingo!

"Okay, let the swarm gain on us, not noticeable but surely and focus all your efforts on dodging. When I yell "now" you turn around and use Flamethrower on the swarm." I said as I measured the distance between us and the swarm. "Don't worry about missing, this time it should work."

"What are you doing?" Chelsea shouted.

"Trying to get rid of our pursuers!" I yelled.

I hooked my legs behind Charizard's neck so I would have my hands free and pulled Ralts of my shoulders so I could talk to her.

Ralts for her part looked terrified, her red eyes were wide with fear and she held my hand so tight it did actually hurt.

"You didn't expect this when you joined me did you?" I tried to ease her, I forced myself to feel calm so she would pick up on it.

Ralts gave me a shaky nod.

"Don't worry, it's almost over-"

Charizard suddenly swooped to the left and I almost fell, I had to strain every muscle in my leg to keep myself up.

I smiled at Ralts. "Almost over, just need you to do one thing. Think you can do that?"

"Raallts." Ralts tried to smile.

The swarm was now making more progress as Charizard stopped trying to outrun (outfly?) them and instead focused on dodging.

I counted the distance and the seconds.

"Okay, Ralts I need you to fire a full force Confusion at the middle of the swarm when they are in range."

"Ralts?"

The problem with this was that Ralts' Confusion was limited by line of sight and it was almost impossible for her to get a clear shot at the swarm without falling.

"I will hold you okay?" I said and she nodded.

I didn't mention the fact that was I almost falling down myself.

I slowly lifted her above my head while I tried to keep balance on the flying dragon with my legs, they began to feel numb but I could still use them as leverage to position myself.

I put Ralts on my head and held her with my hands above my head in position, she was shaking in fear.

She was now facing the swarm and could clearly see all the attacks they were firing, most of them were missing but some of them drew dangerously close.

They were almost in range of Confusion.

Three seconds later they were close enough, I quickly went over the speed of the Confusion and the speed of the swarm and decided this was the best shot we would get.

"Okay, Ralts fire the Confusion full force in the middle of the swarm." I yelled and she did.

The Confusion appeared in the middle of the air and sped towards the swarm, growing in size as it traveled further.

At Least 60% of the swarm flew right into and were thrown back a little.

I pulled her back into my arms and yelled. "Now Charizard!"

She spun around and faced the swarm, the spin almost made me fall (again) but this time Chelsea pushed her own weight against me to help me keep balance.

The swarm did not scatter this time, they couldn't.

I resisted the urge to smile, just the satisfaction of a scheme going as I planned made me want to laugh.

The swarm of Zubat and Golbat went nuts, they began to fly into each other and attacked their comrades in the chaos.

Some of them even fired attacks at their teammates which made for even more chaos.

The problem with the swarm was that they were cautious of Charizard, everytime she would turn to face them they would scatter and they became a very hard target. However they did not consider Ralts to be a threat, she was a lot smaller and didn't look half as dangerous.

But she was a threat, Ralts' Confusion was not merely just an damaging attack but also gave the Confused status effect, though the effect was inconsistent.

That didn't matter when she had a few dozen targets she hit at once, for every 9 Zubat who just got damaged at least one of them would get Confused.

And the Confused ones dragged down the others with them, a swarm relied on their coordination, especially with blind Pokémon.

The Confused Zubat stopped flying (making their teammates crash into them) or began to attack randomly (causing more trouble), I had no idea how many of them were affected but it was enough to disrupt the entire swarm.

Charizard opened her mouth as the swarm descended into chaos and a beam of fire tore through the swarm.

Some of the bat like Pokémon tried to escape but they were heavily hindered by the others who were not paying any attention to the dragon.

They screamed as the flame roasted them.

It was oddly satisfying, seeing Charizard take them out with such ease, the swarm began to thin out as Zubat fell from the sky.

Within a few seconds at least 95% of the swarm was taken out, only a few Zubat and Golbat remained, none of them were confused.

Charizard prepared a second Flamethrower but they fled, no longer having their numbers to their advantage.

We waited for a long minute for them to come back but it seemed like we scared them all off.

Charizard gave a satisfied huf and our eyes met, I saw respect and pride in her eyes. Then she returned to flying towards our destination.

"That was awesome." Chelsea said after a long silence.

"Ralts."

"Zard."

I stayed silent, not really having something to add to it.

I was still wary, the last hour was a rollercoaster for me and I still expected something worse to happen.  
Only when a small town appeared underneath us and Charizard descended I felt a little bit safer.

Charizard circled around a building that looked to be the police station before slowly diving down and landing on the pavement.

Chelsea hopped off first, followed by Ralts.

I jumped off last and the doors of the police station opened, a few guys in uniform stepped outside and greeted us.

I glanced at Charizard and wondered if she would fly back but she stayed near our side while Chelsea explained the situation.

I turned to face the orange dragon.

"Thanks." I said awkwardly. "For trusting me."

Charizard nodded and lowered her head, my mind froze before I realized that she wanted me to pet her.

I did and she let out a satisfied roar.

Now I only had to hope Hylla was doing okay.

* * *

**-CaptainMoonShine-**


	13. Enemy's Enemy

**Chapter 13:**

**Enemy's enemy**

* * *

I slept that night like Jigglypuff had passed by and sang her song.

In other words, it was a good nightrest.

Chelsea and I waited inside the police station until one of the officers had gotten a call from Hylla.

Turns out, Hylla's plan went like she expected and neither she nor her Pokémon had been wounded. She was staying in Sandgem town where she was wrapping up things with the international police who had come to investigate and interrogate the captured members.

They had managed to capture at least 5 of the attackers, apparently there was one more of them than the security cameras showed because two Team Rocket members died during the fight which made me reconsider my place in the universe.

Apparently people do die, it was not like I expected people to live forever but stil, most summoned heroes never had to deal with actual death, kinda sucks for me.

The hospital was destroyed during the battle. Multiple explosions and fire-based attacks had torn the building apart, the final blow was being dealt by a Rhyhorn who crashed through a wall and made the building collapse on itself which didn't surprise me considering Luxray had made a hole in the building prior to the battle.

Hylla told us to stay at the police station for the night while she would talk stuff over with the police, she promised to pick us up next morning and hung up.

The police offered us a few blankets and empty cells (all cells were empty, Twinleaf town has a very low crime rate) but Charizard proved to be a problem as she couldn't be left alone without her becoming agitated.

We didn't have her Pokéball with us so I sacrificed myself to babysit the dragon, which turned out to be the best choice since coming to this world.

We managed to move Charizard to one of the empty storage rooms and Ralts and I made ourselves comfortable.

The room was small and had some paperwork stored on a few metal shelves that were collecting dust, a small window that was enforced with metal wiring and a lightbulb hanging from a thread.

Charizard curled around us and that moment I had no longer need for petty things like blankets and pillows, warm dragon skin was surprisingly comfortable to sleep on.

Maybe it was just me having a bad day but the moment I closed my eyes I crashed.

* * *

"You must do it." a voice said.

I had no idea what I had to do, what was going on? I had fallen asleep and now I was standing in a black void that stretched as far as I could see, I wasn't standing on something solid yet I was not falling.

It suddenly struck me, I was in a dream sequence.

The real question was if I would remember this or forget it once I wake up...wait, why does it feel like this has happened before?

I frowned and a dream that was like a distant memory began to form, it was vague and nothing more than just a feeling of Déjà vu.

Shit if I forget this again I would lose all the information I gained in the dream sequences. Maybe a Pokémon with Dream Eater would be able to help?

"Your dream must come true," the mysterious voice spoke again and it sounded vaguely familiar. Had I heard it before, I couldn't recall it, maybe in a previous dream?

"Because if you can not," the voice said with a tone of finality, "we all pay the price."

And a blinding pain overtook me.

* * *

I woke up screaming, my hand flared with pain and my eyes shot open.

Just as quickly as the pain had come it faded away, I took a look around, still feeling a bit dazed.

After 2 seconds I remembered everything that happened the night before and I took a look around.

Charizard shifted underneath me and Ralts had fallen from her back.

I immediately understood what happened, Charizard gave me a guilty look but I gave her a smile.

"Don't worry, it was my fault."

Apparently I had grasped Charizard's tail in my sleep, which if you don't know, is on fire permanently.

"Ralts." Ralts greeted her as she got up, I translated it to good morning.

"Goodmorning." I greeted her back and pulled her in for a hug because why not?

Something bothered me though, it felt like I was missing something important, something I was supposed to remember.

I went over everything but couldn't recall anything, weird.

Still, it bugged me.

I took out my Pokédex and checked the time.

10:30, wow I slept long, not too weird considering the shit I went through.

I considered going out of the storage room to check up on the situation but...snuggling against Charizard was too relaxing.

I decided to keep relaxing and tried to organize my thoughts, I'm a lazy person after all.

After 20 minutes the door of the storage room opened and two purple haired girls walked in, not even bothering to knock.

"Well, don't you three have it cosy together?" Hylla smirked.

Charizard greeted her trainer and got up, I got to my feet too as Charizard walked over to Hylla. She petted her dragon. "Thank you for keeping them safe.

A Pokéball appeared in her hand and Charizard gave me a roar as goodbye and disappeared in a red flash.

"Well, it seems you slept well," Chelsea said grudgingly. "Sleeping in a cell was not nearly as cool as I thought it would be."

Why would sleeping in a cell be cool anyway?

"So how were things going in Sandgem town?" I asked Hylla, cutting to the chase.

"Well about that," Hylla grinned mercilessly. "You have a visitor."

I sighed. "It's Looker isn't it?"

They both nodded.

Great.

"I kinda need to bring Ralts to a Pokécenter." I offered meekly.

"Ralts." Ralts agreed.

"If you want Chelsea can bring her to the Pokécenter. You know where it is right?" Hylla offered.

"No problem," Chelsea said. "I can totally do that without trouble."

Twinleaf town has a Pokécenter, that's new. I guess it makes sense but still, another deviation from what I knew.

I was about to say no but reconsidered it, if I really had to talk to Looker I kind of didn't want Ralts around. She didn't mean it but she would be distracting me.

"If that's okay with you?" I asked Ralts.

She frowned and gave me a questioning look, I think she was quickly checking my emotions before answering.

She finally nodded and walked over to Chelsea, she turned around when she reached her and gave me a stern look and said. "Ralts.!"

I blinked, "How much trouble can I get while having a conversation?"

"A lot." Hylla answered helpfully.

I sighed. "Let's get this over with."

I turned to Ralts. "And you behave."

Ralts rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue at me.

I followed Hylla through the police station, she seemed familiar with the layout of the building because she didn't even stop once to look for directions.

We passed by a few cops who beside giving a quick "good morning" didn't bother us, after a few turns we stopped in front of a closed door.

Hylla opened it and led me inside.

"Here's Patient Mischief." Hylla announced my presence to the agent sitting in one of the metal chairs.

The room was your typical interrogation room, boring gray walls with one of the walls having a mirror that was totally not see-through from the other side. There was a metal table and metal chairs placed on both sides.

Agent Looker was still eating a sandwich and held a mug of coffee in his hand.

He still wore the same Sherlock coat he wore last time and hadn't really changed much from last time I had seen him except for the tired red eyes that showed a lack of sleep.

"Sup?" I greeted him, "Also, Patient Mischief?"

Hylla shrugged. "It has a nice ring to it."

Looker gave me a look that told me he had no idea what I just said, guess sleep deprivation was hitting him hard.

"What's up?" I explained.

Looker gave me a long look before nodding and saying; "Good to see you again Dust, though the circumstances are less than pleasant."

I wanted to say that it wasn't that bad, then I realized that the hospital was burned to the ground and 2 people had died.

"Yes." I answered neutrally, Looker offered me a chair and I sat down.

"Okay, you two go have your talk, want something for breakfast Dust?" Hylla asked.

"Something light on the stomach," I answered, "Also, give me some tea please."

Hylla nodded and left, leaving us to our devices, closing the door behind her for privacy.

"I told you to stay hidden and wait until the situation blows over." Looker said accusingly.

"They found me." I shot back, "I mostly ran away and tried to avoid contact."

Looker gave me a skeptical look and pulled something out of his pocket and put it on the table.

A knife, my pocket knife.

"We found your knife," he empathized the "your" part. "In a Team Rocket grunt's back."

"He cornered me in that alley." I protested.

He gave me another long look before sighing and taking another sip of his coffee.

"Okay, I believe you." He finally said, "I thought maybe you were out to seek revenge but it seems like you were just being stupid."

"Wait, how was I stupid?"

"When a guy in town gets attacked by a Team Rocket member you don't go out in town like an idiot."

"Wait, when was someon-" I suddenly realized he was talking about the guy Chelsea and I had found in the alley. "Nevermind, wait he was attacked by Team Rocket?"

"Yes." Looker said. "You didn't know that?"

"I was told not to worry about it," I replied, "Why was he attacked anyway?"

Looker shrugged. "Apparently they were looking for you and this guy was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

And Hylla told me not to worry about it, what the fuck?

"Huh," I blinkerd. "Welp, that's a mystery solved. So am I being charged for the fight in the alley?"

Looker shook his head, "No, I just wanted to know if you the Team Rocket assasin said something, maybe he gave some clues. You are of course the victim in this."

I let out a sigh of relief, at least no trouble with the authorities. "So the guy I fought is he still alive?"

"He'll live." Looker replied and took a bite from his sandwich. "Though he won't get a girlfriend anytime soon."

"Because he is in prison?" I tried to follow his train of thought.

Looker gave me a weird look that was a combination of disturbed and humored.

"Because his face is scratched open and he is missing an eye."

Go Umbreon, glad I wasn't the one she unleashed her powers on.

"You know something about that?" Looker asked curiously.

"Nope." I lied.

"Well, the culprits are still miss-"

His phone rang and he stopped talking. He fished his Rotom Phone thingy out of his pocket and made a few swipes before putting it to his ear.

I waited patiently.

"This is Agent Looker from the International Police, Whom am I speaking with?"

I didn't hear what the person on the other side of the conversation said, though Looker recognized the name apparently.

"What's wrong?" Looker asked, he was frowning and he sounded disturbed.

"WHAT!" Looker suddenly yelled, almost making me jump. "Who the fuck was in charge of securing the convicts?"

I never heard him curse before so it was kinda impressive to see him do it, though I was more worried about what was going on.  
"I'm coming over as soon as I'm finished. I'm now talking to the kid of the attack, turn up the security to level red until I arrive."

He didn't wait for a reply, he hung up and put his phone away.

He took the mug from the table and slammed it over like it was alcohol or something. In a few big gulps it was all gone.

He blinked after that and sat down on the chair again.

"What was that about?" I asked curiously.

"That's classified information." He answered automatically before stopping. "Though," he went on. "You do deserve to know."

"Know what?" I asked, a bit annoyed.

He gave me a serious look. "Why do you think Team Rocket attacked the hospital?"

"Revenge because I sabotaged them?" I guessed.

Looker considered it. "Yes but that's not the entire reason. Sure Team Rocket is a prideful organization but they wouldn't throw around resources like that for petty revenge. They had a second goal."

"Which is?" I urged him to go on.

"They got orders from the homefront to make a big show of it. To show Sinnoh their might. They don't hold the same reputation here as they do in Johto and Kanto so they went all out, trying to strike fear."

Huh, so just regular terrorism?" I asked. "To get a better reputation?"

He nodded, then let out a pained chuckle. "It's a bit crazy you know. You show up and reveal the presence of Team Rocket in Sinnoh and around a week later your presence allows us to take down their entire operation here and figure out their motives and goals."

"Their goals?" I asked.

Looker nodded. "We got our hands on their stuff and discovered why Team Rocket was trying to build an operation here."

"And that is?" I was getting a bit tired of all the dramatics.

"To investigate Team Galactic." Looker replied.

Hold your horses, Team Galactic? The main bad guy of the Diamond, Pearl and Platinum games? The people who want to commit mass genocide to create a new world?

They exist!? Does this mean I'm in the game universe? No, they also exist in the anime.

I needed more information.

"Team Galactic?" I asked innocently. "What's that?"

Looker shrugged. "We don't know, we just heard about it too, we suspect it's a rival gang or something."

"And the Team Rocket guys, don't they know anything?" I asked.

He nodded. "One does, the leader of the operation, he is the only one who knows stuff. The others are in the dark about it."

I nodded understandably. It's not uncommon for organizations to work like that, keep their lower ranked members in the dark in case they are captured.

"Well, interrogate the guy in the know." I said. "If he knows more than he is your man."

Looker gave me a pained grin. "He is willing to talk, in exchange for amnesty."

I blinked. "He is? He wants to go free in exchange for information?"

The International Police agent gave me a nod. "Yes, we've been negotiating all night."

My eyes widened, if he were to go free I might be in even more trouble.

"You can't do that right!?" I asked.

Looker frowned. "It's not my choice either but that doesn't matter anymore."

"They decided?"

He shook his head, "The phone call I just got made it clear that the guy won't talk."

"Did the negotiations fail?" I asked.

He gave me a tired sigh. "No, but the Team Rocket member who knows about Team Galactic? He was found dead in his cell this morning."

* * *

**A/N Thanks for 300 hits.**

**-CaptainMoonShine-**


	14. Bait

**Chapter 14:**

**Bait**

* * *

When Looker left he didn't realize how much information he had given me.

Beside the fact that Team Galactic exists in this universe he had also told me, unknowingly, that they were competent.

Team Galactic had the means necessary to assassinate a Team Rocket member while in custody, not only that but they also had access to the police database in some form because they knew which of the Team Rockets could spill the beans.

They were competent which was scarier than I liked to admit.

I rather dealt with idiots like Team Yell or Team Skull but it seems that I'm playing the game in hardcore mode.

However Looker had also given me the final piece of the puzzle about my stay in Sunbright Hospital, he probably wasn't even aware of it.

Looker had given me his phone number before he left, I wordlessly took the knife back as he left.

He either didn't care or was too sleep deprived to see it, must suck to work for an organization like the International Police.

He stormed off and I found Hylla waiting on the other side of the door, holding a cardboard cup of tea and a sandwich, the same kind Looker had been eating.

I took them and sat down in the metal chair.

"You want to eat here?" Hylla asked. "Because there are better places to eat."

"Can I ask you a question?" I asked kindly and I pointed at the chair opposite of me.

"Suuuure…" Hylla drew out the reply, clearly not understanding where this was going.

She closed the door behind her and sat down.

"So," she fixed her eyes on me and smirked. "If you are about to confess your undying-"

I cut her off, "I want to know why."

I love dramatics, or as long as I'm the one being dramatic.

Hylla blinked and tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

"The truth." I answered without a smile. "The truth about my stay in Sunbright town."

She frowned, "I don't think I follow, if this is about the mon-"

I cut her off again, gotta love those dramatic cut offs.

"I want to know why you used me," I said. "-used me as bait for Team Rocket."

Her entire posture changed, not physically but it was like she suddenly dropped a mask she had been wearing for days.

She slightly leaned forward and gave me a smile. "So you figured it out? Even faster than I expected."

She seemed to be more amused than shocked, if anything was smiling.

"So you admit it?" I asked cautiously, not sure why she was smiling.

She shrugged. "If you could explain how you came to your conclusion it would help us both. Otherwise we might be talking about different things."

"Why does it matter how I came to the conclusion?"

"It does." Hylla said sternly. "You'll understand it later, hopefully."

She was still being annoying as hell.

I glared at her. "Fine, my stay at the hospital, from the beginning to the end it was all part of your scheme to lure out Team Rocket and take them down, you used me as bait."

Hylla rolled her eyes, unimpressed. "Yes I did, but how did you figure it out?"

She didn't even look guilty, just relaxed.

What was she playing at?

I revealed nonetheless my train of thought. "You requested I would stay at your hospital before we even met me, it's very unusual for someone to stay at the hospital in Sunbright for more than a day. Yet you went out of your way to have treatment in your hospital. Even though you knew I had run into trouble with Team Rocket you didn't hesitate on the chance to help me."

Hylla nodded. "So you talked to the locals I assume?"

"Yes I did," I said. "You send me into town the same day I wake up, first I thought you wanted to make me feel better or something but that was not the reason."

Hylla shrugged. "You do stand out you know? Your blue hair and pale skin are really noticeable. There are only a few hospitals you could've gone to and it's a given that Team Rocket would keep their eye out for you."

I gritted my teeth, why did I have blue hair and a freakin' vampire skin? Whoever summoned me must be color blind.

"The second day too, I didn't have any plans to go town but you told Chelsea I did anyway, to guilt me into going."

"Not guilt per se." Hylla said. "Just tried to push you in the right direction."

My breakfast remained untouched.

The moment I confronted Hylla I had forgotten about it, I took a bite, deciding not to let Hylla get the better of me.

"They guy Chelsea and I found in the alley. You refused to let him stay at the hospital despite the danger he was in." I said accusingly.

"He was a risk in the long run and it was too risky to keep him around." Hylla said nonchalantly. "So, I brought him to a safer place."

"He could've died during the trip." I didn't really care much about that random guy but still, it pissed me off that she treated it like it was nothing more than a nuisance.

"But he did not die." Hylla said, "But I assume that part gave it away? The fact that I didn't tell you that Team Rocket attacked him in a search for you?"

I didn't answer which made her smile even more infuriating.

"Come on tell me." Hylla challenged.

"The attack at the hospital, you had a plan to deal with the attack the moment I stormed into the lobby. You were literally waiting for it."

Hylla nodded. "The real question is, why did I do it?"

She was not even denying it, just twisting and making it some kind of mindgame.

I stared at her. "What? Why does that matter? I figured it out your little scheme."

"But not my motive." She smiled.

I blinked, it was the biggest problem for my theory. The lack of motive.

"You either work for Team Galactic or the Sinnoh league."

"That's still not a motive." Hylla said with a disappointed tone. "You think I would put so much on the line just to stop a bunch of criminals?"

"Yes?" I tried.

Hylla grinned. "I couldn't care less about stopping Team Rocket. No you played a different role, you were never just bait for Team Rocket."

She leaned backwards. "No, I simply needed an excuse to burn down the hospital."

**A/N Next chapter will be the last of this arc, hopefully this was not too much of an info dump, it if it was welp, can't have them all.**

**Also according to the stats only 0,8% of you leave a review, become part of the cool minority that is different than the rest and leave a review as well!**

**Cya all later!**

**-CaptainMoonShine-**


	15. Reasonable Maniac

**Chapter 15:**

**Reasonable Maniac**

* * *

"I basically consult the League when they deal with a problem they can't fix." Hylla explained, "They call me and I do what I'm good at, make plans and schemes; Are Pokémon hunters in the Safari Zone? I devise a plan to get rid of them within a week. A gang shipping illegal goods across Region borders? They give me a map with the details and I can narrow down their location by 80%. They give me a problem and I figure out an answer."

We had moved outside, once it became clear that Hylla was about to dump her entire past on me I decided a change of scenery was necessary.

Outside was nice, Twinleaf town was not really big and was like the anime portrayed it to be.

A peaceful, quiet and insignificant place.

We were sitting outside on a picnic table and I enjoyed the sunny weather. I felt a bit better already with the change of scenery. It had broken Hylla's momentum of the conversation.

Going outside had reset the conversation like I expected and now I could think a bit more straight.

Talking with Hylla was like playing mental chess and just like with every other game you couldn't let the opponent decide the pace of the game.

"So that's why the League keeps the hospital open? You're their think tank or something?"

"Yes." Hylla said and she gazed into the distance, "When our parents passed away I moved back in and made it my base of operations. Which they paid, considering I only need a computer and a phone for my work it was a good deal, I could laze around all day and only had to solve a few mysteries every month."

Damn, that sounds like a nice job to have.

"Then why burn it down?" I asked, sincerely confused. "It sounds like you had everything you want."

"Because it kept Chelsea from doing anything with her life."

I wanted to ask what she meant but instead I tried to find the answer myself.

Everything that Chelsea had said and all the things that happened since I arrived started to make a greater picture together.

"She dislikes Sunbright town." I tried, "And the hospital has no real value except emotional value for her because no one comes there anyway."

Hylla nodded approvingly, "I'm not sure why she is so attached to the hospital, maybe a misguided feeling of guilt or as a last respect to our parents. Whatever it is, it's stopping her from doing something else."

More pieces of the puzzle fell into place, The Chimchar, the battle against Melon and Thomas and finally my arrival at the hospital.

"You're pushing her to become a Pokémon trainer." I said, "You gave her a starter Pokémon but she never did anything with it."

"Yes, being a Pokémon trainer is currently the most popular career. It lets you travel the world and the current economic system heavily favors Pokémon trainers."

That was new information, I had no idea how this world economic system works but it made sense I guess.

"Isn't she too young though?" I asked, "Looker told me 16 is the starting age."

"16 is the most commonly used, however, as a 10 year old it is already possible to become a registered Pokémon trainer if a respected professional can vouch for you. Chelsea is 12, almost 13 and I can definitely vouch for her and my word should be enough."

10, What!?

So it is possible to send a 10 year old into the world with nothing more than a monster with the powers to bend the laws of physics, just uncommon?

Does that mean that Ash still left Pallet town at the age of 10? Having Professor Oak back you up would probably be convincing enough.

If not Ash than Red could've left at the age of 10.

"So you burned down the hospital to get Chelsea moving?"

Sounds kinda over the top to me, man this world is insane.

"To make her do something with her life," Hylla corrected me, "To show there's more than the hospital of our parents."

"And of course the only thing you can do is burn it down and let a terrorist group attack it." I said dryly.

"No," Hylla said. "If it was just about getting rid of the hospital I would arrange a gas leak or a wild Pokémon attack. No, doing it like that would be counterproductive. No, I needed something better."

Me, someone like me.

A potential friend for Chelsea, a distraction from the loss of her house and someone she could look up too.

I don't really consider myself a good role model but I guess the bar wasn't that high with Chelsea, I think Hylla realized that.

Yesterday when Hylla called and told us about the state of the hospital, Chelsea wasn't nearly as devastated as one should be when your home is destroyed which suggests that Hylla's plan worked but it sounded like she started everything before she even met me, or knew my personality.

"How'd you know I was going to be a Pokémon trainer like you wanted Chelsea to be? In fact, what if I was a huge jerk? Seems like a huge gamble."

Hylla closed her eyes, as if recalling something. "I think I got a very good read on you when I heard a boy around the age of 15-17 had taken down two Team Rocket members with nothing more than an uncaptured Ralts and a stone. That alone told me you were smart, smart enough to become a Pokémon trainer, Second the fact that you managed to partner up with a wild Ralts proves you're at least a decent person. Being an emotion reading Pokémon after all."

Oh you don't know how easy it is to trick Ralts' emotion sense powers, still she was right that such a report could give you a lot of information if you knew what to look for.

"So all of this, the entire Team Rocket situation and my stay was all just a huge gamble to help your sister forward?" I deadpanned.

"I didn't just help Chelsea you know," Hylla said with a smirk. "For all the 'manipulating' I did everyone got better out of it."

She empathized the "manipulation" part with air quotes.

"I pathed out a better future for Chelsea and I received a lot of insurance money." Hylla finished.

I blinked, I hadn't even considered insurance money. How many layers did this go?

"Where's the I get better out of it?" I frowned.

"Besides getting treatment?" Hylla raised her thumb. "I got rid of Team Rocket for you who were bound to bother you at some point, even without my interference."

A second finger joined her thumb.

As a third finger joined as she said, "I got you a reputation with the League and the police as a trainer who faced off against Team Rocket multiple times and won."

A fourth finger went up, and she gave me a smirk. "And the most important part. Bounty. For Team Rocket."

I blinked again, Hylla had that effect on me. "What?"

She made a quasi confused face. "You took down a Team Rocket cell, that's at least worth 7000 Pokédollars don't you think?"

"Are you bribing me?"

"Danger money." She said with a knowing smirk. "Money that you could use when you travel the world and try to be the best Pokémon trainer."

She was definitely bribing me, the message was clear; let's leave this behind us.

She twirled a purple hair lock around her finger as innocently watched a flock of Starly passed by.

The point was, no matter how much of a manipulating sociopath Hylla had been, she was annoying reasonable which I quite hate.

Nothing worse than a reasonable maniac.

Still, I had to deal with Team Rocket anyway and money is always nice.

I didn't really know what to think of Chelsea but she wasn't that bad and being stuck in a place like Sunbright town was kinda sucky.

On the other hand, apparently I had a reputation with the League now which was mildly infuriating. It promised more trouble in the future knowing that I was the playball of fate I was bound to be in the center of it.

I rubbed my temple, was it really too much to ask to let me become an overpowered Pokémon trainer and have a nice life without too much trouble?

With the conspiracies and dangers going on at this stage of my journey in this world it didn't promise anything good for the endgame.

"You know what." I said suddenly. "Fuck this shit, yeah you did me a service in a weird twisted way."

Hylla raised an eyebrow.

"Sure, let's leave it at this." I finally said.

"Alright." Hylla perked up. 'Now thank you for the assistance, Mister Mysterious, the money has already been transferred to your account."

"Still going with that silly name you kno-"

Wait, the money has already been transferred, when had she done that?

Before the conversation even started? Did she plan all of this?

I gave her a blank stare.

Hylla gave me a big grin.

This woman gives me a headache.

* * *

Ralts and Chelsea came back around 1 PM and honestly I didn't see anything different about Ralts but I wasn't a doctor so I wouldn't have known it anyway.

Still Ralts greeted me with a hug like I was gone for years instead of 2 hours.

Hylla and I had discussed what I should do from here and she had fired me from the hospital, with it being burned down and my role being played she revealed that I could basically clean up my own wound as long as I wasn't stupid and it was almost healed anyway.

Hylla took Chelsea on a walk and I took Ralts along for a shopping spree to buy stuff, mostly food and other stuff I lacked.

I also bought some stuff I didn't really need but might be useful one day, they won't be useful one day but it's the thought that counts, especially with some money to burn.

Annoyingly there was not a PokéMart or library which again proved we can't have nice things in life.

Still, Ralts enjoyed our time out.

I tried to find any signs of Dawn, Barry and Lucas but I couldn't find any of them without being overly creepy and breaking into people's houses and asking for them like a stalker.

I did ask directions for Sandgem town and Lake Verity since even the GPS function on my Pokédex was locked.

I met up with Hylla and Chelsea when the sun was touching the horizon again, we were standing in a park that was in the middle of Twinleaf town.

The entire town bathed in orange light, there was a slide in the park that was slightly rusted and a few wooden benches at the edge of the park.

"You never guess what I decided." Chelsea said and I faked a curious look.

"I dunno."

I noticed a Pansage swinging around in a tree and it was more interesting than the surprise reveal Chelsea had in store.

"Being temporarily homeless I came to a realization." Chelsea went on.

That you want to be a Pokémon trainer?

"That you need a challenge." She pointed at me.

"Wait what?"

"I'm going to become a Pokémon trainer," Chelsea said with an evil grin. "And I am going to be your rival."

"RaRalts?"

"Yeah what?"

"I'm going to be a Pokémon trainer too," she said like it was obvious."If you are going to do the gym challenge then I'm going to do that too." Chelsea said.

What the hell is going on in the Universe? Why do I get a rival?

Was she Barry's replacement or something?

"You know, a rival is perfect for beginning trainers, they both push each other to go further." Hylla offered thoughtfully.

I knew what she really meant, but still, Chelsea? Isn't my rival supposed to have an opposing philosophy and color set?

Also, she is like way to young to actually rival me, well I never really bothered with them anyway, guess I will just battle her from time to time and use it to satisfy my own ego.

"Sure," I said thoughtfully. "If you want we could battle right here and now."

Free exp is always nice and a rival would be an amazing exp generator.

"Ralts." Ralts stepped forward and clenched her fist, shooting a glare at Chelsea.

Chelsea returned it with a grin,took out her Pokéball and released Chimchar.

"Char!" The monkey cried out as it appeared, then he became the focus of Ralts' glare and he gulped.

I took a few steps back and Chelsea did the same thing.

"You can go first," I offered Chelsea, not out of kindness but Ralts was right now better at reacting than playing aggressive.

"Chimchar, run forward and use Ember!"

Chimchar charged forward on four legs and opened his mouth, a small flame visible inside it.

A burst of flames shot towards Ralts.

Do flames count as physical objects? Probably not.

That means it probably can't be deflected by Disarming Voice.

"Ralts, Disarming Voice down again," I said, "The same thing as you did against Raticate."

Disarming Voice was weak against Fire type but it still did damage and served as a good movement tool.

Ralts nodded and did as she was told, she aimed a Disarming Voice at her feet and was promptly launched up and dodged the fire attack.

However things were not going as they should be in the air, Ralts twirled helplessly, this time there was no epic shining fist.

Guess that means that last time was a spur of the moment thing.

It made sense that she couldn't do it perfectly after one try but it was still kinda annoying.

"Chimchar!" Chelsea called out, "Do scratch when she lands!"

Oh no you don't!

"Ralts, break your fall with Disarming voice Now!"

Chimchar ran towards the spot Ralts would land, his claws out and ready to punish her the moment she came down.

Ralts managed to turn around in the air and let out a high pitched scream while falling.

Soundwaves crashed down on Chimchar and bounced back to soften her landing, they didn't seem to do as much damage to Chimchar as I liked because of his typing but it still did damage and it kept him stunned for a short amount of time.

Chimchar let out a cry while Ralts landed next to him, unharmed while Chimchar was still shocked by the attack.

"Ralts, stacked Confusion!" I said and the battle was over at that moment.

Being a pretty weak starter Chimchar was immediately knocked out by 5 Confusion attacks placed into each other, the fact that Ralts landed close enough negotiated the entire slowness part of firing a low power ray.

Ralts grinned, and so did I.

and with that I had finished the tutorial, I had my starter Pokémon, gained a Pokédex, a backpack and an invitation to the Professor Rowan's lab. Completed the rival battle and lots of money to spend and now all that was done I could finally start my own journey.

Fate was smiling upon me.

Though I was not sure if it was a genuine smile or a sadistic smile of what was to come.

* * *

**A/N And that finally concludes the end of this arc and the end of the prologue, well that only took 45K words...**

**Anyway thank you all for the kind reviews you left, now its almost like I have friends!**

**Well, cya all later!**

**-CaptainMoonShine-**


	16. Chapter 16

**Arc 2: Journey**

**Chapter 16:**

**Traveler**

* * *

Ralts was sitting on a small boulder, sweating nervously.

I was pacing in front of her while she watched me.

"Ralts we need to talk." I said.

She gulped.

We had slept in the tent for the first time yesterday evening, Chelsea and Hylla had left to do their shit somewhere else and I had the choice between staying in a hotel or sleeping in the tent I had bought.

I could've slept in a hotel but I want to get used to sleeping outside so I had set up camp somewhere on the outer edge like a homeless person.

Lake Verity wasn't far away from Twinleaf town, in fact it was only an hour away but I wanted to get some training and power testing done.

When the sun began to rise I had headed in the general direction of the lake and when I was far enough away to not bother the townspeople I left the trail that went towards the lake and headed into the forest.

The forest was not really dense and it was quite beautiful in the morning sun.

I had seen flocks of Starly wake up and head towards the horizon the moment the sun shone over their trees, I saw Budew open their bud and enjoy the sun which was cool to see.

There were a lot of them and they mostly went on with their day.

I made sure to stay away from any Ariados, don't want to end up like Piplup who managed to get caught in the first episode it showed up.

Finally we found a nice clearing with some boulders and we did some power testing. First, I had Ralts try the shining fist attack.

We never really had the time to study it so now it was the perfect chance.

I made her try it while standing on the ground and it took her 4 strikes of hitting the boulder without any damage before it worked.

Her arm lit up as she retracted it and started glowing like a small star punching it forward.

And it turns out, whatever the move was called, it was weak as shit.

Sure it was strong compared to a human but with the likes of Machamp and Blaziken out there it was laughable weak.

Considering the physical stats of the Ralts species that were not that great to start with it didn't surprise me, it was a useful move for close combat but not a move that would be a deciding factor anytime soon.

One punch would make a slight crack in the boulder and the time for the punch to actually charge up was too big to throw it out fast in real time battle.

So we did some more testing and turns out, when she does the fist attack while falling it does at least 4 times more damage, breaking the boulder in one strike with ease.

I guess that the momentum from the fall is being transferred to her fist or something which was nice.

I decided to name the punch move just "smash" until I got its real name and named the combination attack of Disarming Voice and descending "smash", Meteor Smash.

It kinda looks like a meteor to me when she falls like that with her fist clenched and shining like a star.

Also, because of Smash Bros but no one in this world will understand the reference.

So after figuring out the nature of her punch we tried to do some more testing with the Disarming Voice jump, which I have to find a new name for now I think about it.

I had her try to do a Confusion while in the air and it worked but it was kinda bad,

A full force Confusion would take too much time and she would reach the ground before firing it and a low power Confusion would just travel through the air like a normal Confusion.

Considering how it was unlikely to hit anyone in the air due to its slow speed and the fact that most Pokémon were too small it was kinda useless to do that.

I had hoped we could use it to launch ourselves even further while in the air but like I thought Confusion doesn't bounce back so that was a minor disappointment.

After that I had her practice Disarming Voice Jump and landing safely for over an hour.

She fell a lot but over time she became better at landing, learning to bow her knees to break her fall.

In that hour I spend some time writing stuff up in a notebook I had bought, I didn't dare to write down any future knowledge or knowledge I shouldn't know because that might be hard to explain.

I considered using a cipher but they were easy to crack with computers, especially when someone has a Porygon to assist with decoding.

Instead I just wrote up possible attack patterns and drew the entire match up chart.

I was bound to have a few things wrong but I got the gist of it.

When Ralts finally managed to consistently launch herself and land safely I made her beat up a few boulders with smash and Disarming Voice, trying to make it stronger.

I was not sure if it really works but people in the anime did it so I guess it wouldn't really hurt.

And that was how we spent the morning and when the sun finally reached the middle of the sky I decided we had trained enough for now.

Normally I would grind until we were around level 20 but I guess that would be really boring, also I was pretty sure levels didn't exist in this world.

I fed Ralts some of the weird berry things that Hylla had given me before she and Chelsea had left and after that I had put her one of the boulders that was still intact and started pacing in front of her.

"I need to confess something Ralts." I said ominously.

She turned red and nervously started fiddling with her nonexistent fingers…

What did she think I was going to say, that I was about to kill someone?

I was just pacing in front of her, arms behind my back and having a thoughtful look on my face.

There was no real reason for me to act like this but I love dramatics and I always wanted to put the drill instructor act to use.

I stopped pacing and faced Ralts, I held a dramatic pause before beginning my speech.

"I can not make you the strongest." I said and she frowned, the blush fading away. "You won't be able to become the very best."

"Ralts?" she asked.

"What you just did for over an hour, all that training? In the end it won't matter." I told her bluntly.

"Rals,Ra Ralts?" She protested.

I translated it to her telling me she felt stronger or something

I pointed at myself, "I am a mere human, I don't have Aura or Psychic powers to boost yours."

I pointed at Ralts. 'You are right now a Ralts, and even when you finally evolve into a Gardevoir you still won't be the strongest."

I sighed. "No matter how much you train it will be impossible to become the strongest."

"Ralllltts?" Her voice was a little shaky and it seemed like she was emotionally affected by what I was saying.

"Even if you manage to become the most powerful Psychic in Sinnoh or the world it won't matter."

"Ralts?" She tilted her head, her red eyes filled with confusion.

"Even when you win every tournament and beat every opponent there will be a Pokémon who has the perfect counter to your powers and is immune to every move you can do. And even if you manage to beat that Pokémon there will be Legendary Pokémon who manage to overpower you because they are the gods of this world."

I took a deep breath, people in movies never ran out of breath in movies while holding a speech but this was exhausting.

"Even if you can take down a Legendary there are Pokémon like Arceus and Victini who can not lose due to their nature."

Ralts was staring at me, her red eyes locked with mine. I really wondered what she was thinking.

"And even if you manage to beat Arceus someone will show up with the lorestone and plotsword who will win because he is your only Kryptonite and the universe just decides he should win."

It's the simple nature of the universe, especially in one like Pokémon where power levels were everything.

"However," I said and Ralts perked up. "I can make you the most dangerous Pokémon in the world. The Pokémon that people don't want to fight because they know nothing will go as planned. A Pokémon that will make Legendaries struggle because they don't know what's going on. A Pokémon that battles the way Arceus will pause and wonder what the fuck is happening."

I grinned. "A Pokémon that is unpredictable and fights like no other."

"Ralts!" Ralts perked up. It was so easy to manipulate her feelings.

She was still a child after all, a child that lives in a world that is about to end unless someone stops it.

"Your strength is limited to the amount your body can handle." I took a step closer and tapped her forehead. "But this isn't."

"Ralts?" She asked.

"Your brain is not limited. There's no skill cap on your mind, there is no limit to your determination."

Ralts smiled, good this was going alright so far.

"You can't be strongest but you can be the smartest, the sneakiest or the trickiest. The most versatile and creative."

I mean its basic knowledge right? There will always be someone stronger than you, there will be battles you can not win by conventional means or normal strategies.

"So that's why I will not only focus on your strength. No, I will also work with you on strategy. When we're done with physical training we will study together and figure out new ways to fight, how to switch playstyle during a battle and how to fight on a psychological level. Raw power is only a small part of the battle."

I smiled at Ralts. "In short, we will be the very best, using mind and body. Now how does that sound?"

I opened my arms, waiting for Ralts' response.

Ralts turned around and for a second I wondered if I was too dramatic.

She jumped off the boulder, face towards the boulder and screamed.

The soundwaves split the boulder in two and Ralts was catapulted towards me by the bouncing sound waves. She crashed into my stomach and I fell over, not expecting a Ralts suddenly headbutting into my stomach.

We both fell over and Ralts hugged my chest, squealing with happiness.

"Now that's a way to give a hug." I chuckled as she kept hugging my chest affectionately.

Well it seems like Ralts was on board with the entire idea, in raw power she would be lacking but we would find a way together.

"Are you really trying to disturb the entire forest there are people who actually have things to do." A boyish voice suddenly interrupted.

I stopped and leaned over, Ralts stopped hugging and gave our intruder a curious look.

A glaring flaw in her emotion radar was that I trained her to pick up hostile/violent emotions towards us while the person was also hidden from sight.

She was able to sense others and locate them but I told her to ignore most of it unless she was in battle.

No need to pick up the depression of a random Sobble after all.

I gave our intruder a curious look.

He was around my age, having striking yellow hair that was slightly pointed up and backwards like they were devil horns and he had orange eyes that didn't look happy.

He wore a orange and white striped cardigan with short sleeves and a short green scarf, on his back he had a backpack draped over his shoulder and wore gray pants with brown boots to finish it off.

"Hmm…" I mused thoughtfully, "And who may you be."

I already knew it, with that kind of look it was obvious.

"Look," He said, not answering my question, though it was not really necessary. "I don't really have a lot of time. I just wanted to say that you are being rather loud, WAIT, are you a Pokémon trainer?"

"No," I said as I got up, "I just abducted a random Pokémon and now I forced her into loving me."

"Ralts." Ralts nodded.

Sometimes I wonder if she even understands me.

"If you are a Pokémon trainer then you should battle me." he said, he suddenly looked at his watch and his eyes narrowed. "We can make it quick. I really need to train my Pokémon before I show it to Professor Rowan."

"Welp," I said, "I kinda have to go."

"Where to?" the blonde teener asked perplexed, as if he was the only one in this world with a schedule.

"Lake Verity." I said,

"You're looking for the Legendary too?! Aw man! Well, you're not the one to catch it because I'm going first." he yelled dramatically.

His voice was kinda high pitched and he sounded like he was high on a sugar rush.

"What about the battle?" I asked, wondering if he would realize the loop in the conversation we just made.

"Oh so you do want to battle!" He said, "I think I got some time, yeah you will do."

And with that he threw out his Pokéball, still not having properly introduced himself.

In a flash a bright blue penguin-ish creature appeared, it let out a cry as it jumped in front of him.

A Piplup, interesting.

"Ralts, if you would do the honor?"

Ralts took a step forward and glared at Piplup.

Piplup didn't flinch. Well at least it has more spine than Dawn's Piplup.

"I'm Dust by the way," I said. "And this is Ralts, what's your name?"

He grinned, "My name is Barry, I'm from Twinleaf town."

"Piplup!" Piplup cried out.

"And this is Piplup," he looked at his watch, "I don't have long."

He gave me a grin. "Now let's get this going."

* * *

**A/N Arc 2 named Traveler starts now.**

**I hope you all actually like this story.**

**Cya all later!**

**-CaptainMoonShine-**


	17. Re:Rival

**Chapter 17:**

**Re:Rival**

* * *

Barry, the childhood friend of the game's protagonist and also his or her rival.

In the games your rival always picks the Pokémon with the type advantage so it was interesting to see him with a Piplup, does that mean Lucas is walking around somewhere with a Chimchar?

On the other hand, Barry had a Piplup which he also had in the anime.

Conclusion: Inconclusive.

However I could still beat his Pokémon.

"Piplup, use Peck!" Barry ordered, I immediately gave a counter order.

"Close your eyes." I told Ralts. "And wait."

There's no time like a real time battle to try out new strategies. Although I did forget to mention this strategy to Ralts.

Ralts however complied, her eternal trust in me pushing her to do it anyway. She closed her eyes and waited while Piplup ran forwards in what I dubbed a Naruto Run while being a penguin.

It's beak glowed white as it drew closer and when I deemed the timing right I gave out my next command. "Eyes closed, Disarming Voice forward, aim it at the ground 3 meter (9.8 Feet) away from you."

Piplup ran forward as the Disarming Voice hit the ground a few steps away from Piplup, the soundwaves stirred up dust and grass alike and some of it was flung into Piplup's eyes.

The effect of the soundwaves went in all directions, even Ralts' but most of it was flung towards Piplup due to the angle of the attack.

Sand and dirt were stuck in Piplup's eyes but worse was the fear.

You know, it's pretty scary to suddenly go blind, also the eyes are very sensitive so besides being blind it was also hard to focus.

"Ralts full force Confusion." I said,

"Piplup, Bubblebeam forward, now!" Barry yelled.

Wait, what?

Piplup listened and stopped panicking, it was still blind but it opened its mouth and blue bubbles flew towards Ralts who was stuck trying to charge Confusion.

They are just bubbles right? What the hell can they do?

Welp, turns out, a lot of damage.

They hit Ralts and she let out a cry of pain.

When the final bubble hit Ralts she was propelled backwards and landed on her butt.

What the fuck?

Piplup had rubbed out the sand of its eyes and glared, ready to attack again, apparently the sand attack we did had to be followed up faster.

"Same attack again, then follow up with a Meteor Smash!" I said and not a second too late.

Barry had given a new order and Piplup was running towards Ralts with its beak glowing again.

"It's another sand attack!" Barry said, "Close your eyes!"

Hahahaha, never take the eyes of your opponent you fool!

Again sand and dirt were thrown around and Piplup shielded its eyes with its wing/hand.

Ralts wasted no moment and jumped up in the sky, launching herself with Disarming Voice.

She rose up in the sky and when she reached the peak of her rise she turned around and retracted her fist.

It began shining brightly as she fell down back to earth, Piplup opened its eyes just in time to see its own doom.

Ralts' fist drilled Piplup into the ground and created a small crater, sand and dust were thrown around again and I had to shield my own eyes to protect them.

I smiled while Barry stared wide eyed at the devastation in front of him.

"Good job Ralts," I smiled at Barry.

The scene in front of us showed Piplup lying in a small crater, Ralts standing next to it, one leg on its stomach and her fist clenched in front of her face.

Was she striking a pose?

"How?" Barry gasped. "We lost!"

Ralts stepped away and ran towards me, arms open for a hug.

I knelt down and caught her as she leaped for me, "Rrraaalllts!"

Damn, you love hugs don't you?

After the hugging, I lifted her up and put her on my shoulders so I had my hands free.

"You fought great Piplup." Barry said and he pulled out a red and white Pokéball and pushed the button.

Piplup disappeared and he put the Pokéball back in his pocket.

He looked at me and pointed his finger at me. "Don't think this is over, next time I will beat you!"

"Sorry but I kinda have this 12 year old girl who claimed to be my rival already." I said apologetically. "Though you fought great."

"Oh don't think that excuse will help you!" Barry said and he smiled. "After all, I still want a rematch."

Did you even hear what I just said?

"Suureee…" I said, "You do you."

"Raaalltts." Ralts copied.

Barry nodded. "Otherwise I will fine you a million Pokédollars"

"Anyway," I ended the conversation. "I'm going to Lake Verity now, See you later."

"Catching a Legendary huh?" Barry said grinning., "Don't think I'm going to let you catch one because I'm the one who is going to catch it!"

Ralts chuckled.

Barry gave Ralts a shocked look, "You don't think I can do it? Just watch me!"

"Do you have any spare Pokéballs?"

Barry stayed silent, just what I thought.

"Well, nice to meet you but I'm gonna go." I said and turned around to walk away, Barry caught up with me and said. "Wait, I'm coming with you. I want to go anyway. Maybe I can see a Legendary Pokémon and tell Professor Rowan about it."

And that's how I got stuck with Barry, while I was walking he kept talking and talking.

He told me about a show he had seen on tv, about a person in his town he knew and a book he once read.

It was pretty boring but Ralts seemed to be paying attention which was enough to distract Barry from my lack of interest.

When we finally reached the lake I had to admit it was worthy of housing a Legendary.

The lake was big, very big and not at all like the pond the games made them look like.

The water was blue, like actually blue and not the transparent gray-blue you normally see. it was sparkling in the light of the sun and the water's surface reflected a bit of the blue color back to the air giving it a fairy tale like fibe.

I stopped walking when we reached the edge of the forest and stared forward.

"What's wrong, Dust?" Barry stopped walking too when he saw I wasn't following him.

At the edge of the lake sat a man, sitting on his knees and his left hand emerged in the water of Lake Verity.

He had light blue hair that ended in spikes and had a rather thick brow, he wore a black business suit that made him look like an evil board member of some shady company.

I knew who he was; Cyrus the mad titan of the Pokémon world.

Except that he wanted to kill everyone to create a perfect world which was kind of worse.

He came close to achieving his goals but he was just stopped in time.

And here he was, darkly looming over the water, muttering to himself.

"There are deities in the ocean and in the sky." He muttered, almost inaudible but I was paying close attention. "But if only one could get them to listen...they could change the world. Create the world the way it's supposed to be and remove the rot."

Yeah, keep dreaming, Light Yagami.

I stared at him, he looked so vulnerable.

He sat with his back to us, I could have Ralts push him in the water with either Confusion or Disarming Voice after that we could keep him under until he drowned.

Or I could attack him with my knife and stab him in the back and hope to leverage my own body weight to keep him in a disadvantage.

However I didn't want Ralts to become a murderer, if I had to I would rather do it myself and live with the guilt.

Barry was also an unpredictable factor.

But most important of all was that I still needed him.

I theorized that either Dialga, Palkia, Giratina or Arceus had brought me to this world considering they all had dimension related powers and Cyrus was the key to meeting them.

Other contenders were Celebi and Hoopa but the listed ended there, the other Legendaries had unrelated powers or were too retarded.

I mean, if I was summoned by Zapdos I would really need to evaluate my chances in this world.

"Hello sir." Barry said as he stepped forward and I followed, putting a smile on my face.

"Are you here to catch a Legendary too?" Barry asked curious.

The man rose to his feet and turned around, giving us a charming smile. "Oh, hello there. Didn't see you two."

"Ralts." Ralts said annoyed.

"Three." I said.

Cyrus ignored it, "And what brings you two youngsters to Lake Verity."

"Just checking out to-" I tried to reply but Barry cut me off.

"And if you think you can catch a Legendary then I'm sorry but my friend and I were here first." Barry finished my sentence, though it was not even close to what I was going to say.

"Hahaha," Cyrus laughed good-naturedly. "Don't worry I'm just a businessman looking for a place to relax."

He gazed over the lake. "I'm currently investing money into libraries and building projects all over Sinnoh and studying the myths is one of my hobbies."

"Mmm…" Barry frowned thoughtfully. "Well, My name is Barry and this is my friend Dust, we came here to see the Legendaries ourselves."

"Sup." I greeted the maniac.

"Ralts." Ralts greeted coldly.

"Oh how nice it is to see young people start their journey." Cyrus said. "Though I wish you the best of luck but my job is calling me."

He smiled at us and turned to leave, disappearing into the forest.

"Huh, weird guy." Barry mumbled before smiling. "Anway, I'm going to look for the Legendary."

He ran towards the lake and knelt down and sang. "Oh, Legendary..."

As if that was gonna work.

Ralts jumped off my shoulders and walked towards the edge of the lake and watched it with amazement.

Was this the first time she saw a lake? It could be, considering she lived in a forest before she met me it was a possibility.

I for my part peered over the water, trying to see if an invisible Mesprit would be watching me.

I saw nothing.

Welp, that was disappointing, I gave up and walked towards my two companions and knelt down between them to study the water.

The water was clear and I had no trouble seeing the bottom of the lake, yet at the same time it reflected my face almost perfectly.

My own reflection made me flinch, a face that wasn't mine stared back at me.

Still took some time to get used to it, I wondered what my parents would think of it.

Would they think it look stupid or would they think it fits my personality?

I studied my reflection on the surface of the magical lake and noticed something odd.

A pink, cat-like figure was floating behind me. Curiously watching me with an almost childlike glee.

I spun around and could only catch a glimpse of something pink before it disappeared.

I felt something briefly brush through my hair before it disappeared with a chuckle.

"So are you the one who summoned me?" I asked the empty air in front of me.

No reply came and I had the idea the Legendary was gone.

So did Mew bring me to this world?

Mew wasn't known for dimensional powers but it's still known as the first Pokémon which contradicts Arceus' existence. It might have been able to bring me to this world since Mew could learn every move in existence, or at least in the games with the TMs.

But...it was Mew, the Pokémon who was known to be playful and pretty retarded.

I mean it was absolutely cute and one of my favourites in the game and anime but it was also pretty ignorant towards the world considering it allowed Mewtwo's creation and ultimately to almost destroy the world, only intervening at the final moment, though that is just opinion.

No, it was more likely Mew was just curious, perhaps it knew about me or maybe I just had a weird Aura it was attracted too.

It felt that my arrival here was planned to some extent, allowing me to delve into the plot with encountering Team Rocket the first day I'm here and me meeting up with Looker.

Mew was not a planner, or it didn't seem to be one.

Still interesting to know that I had a visit from a Legendary.

"Did you say something?" Barry looked up.

"Nope." I lied.

"Oh-kay." Barry said like I was crazy before trying to spot a Legendary, if only he knew what he missed.

I sat down next to Ralts and laid on the grass, watching the clouds above me form weird shapes.

Ralts was still watching the water like it was the most beautiful thing she ever saw.

I closed my eyes and began to think.

The last hour made it look like I was in the game universe, or to be precise: Pokémon Platinum.

I met Barry near Twinleaf town and we both went to Lake Verity like the start of the game and we even met Cyrus.

However there were also elements from the anime, Barry having a Piplup and Cyrus pretending to be a businessman.

Was in a mix of both? If I was then this would be a pain to deal with, nothing would be certain and I had to work with possibilities of events that can happen instead of will happen.

I sighed and pushed those thoughts out of my mind.

Time to relax some bit, this place was chill as hell and I could use some relaxation.

Had a meeting with the Professor soon and that was bound to bring up more trouble and reveals.

For now, I could just lie here and relax.

* * *

**A/N No idea if people like it but the hits increase everyday so I'll just keep uploading.**

**Well Cya all later!**

**-CaptainMoonShine-**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18:**

**Research**

* * *

I almost fell asleep at the edge of Lake Verity.

Barry had left after 15 minutes when it became clear there was no Legendary to be seen. He suddenly realized how late it was and ran off, giving me a hasty goodbye and he stormed off to visit the professor.

Ralts kept herself busy with playing in the lower part of the lake. I had told her not to drown herself and hoped she would take my advice to heart.

She ran off to play in the water and began talking to some of the Pokémon that lived in the lake, mostly fish Pokémon like Goldeen and Magikarp but I also spotted a Ducklett and a small group of Surskit dancing on the surface of the lake.

They made it a game to splash water at the Surskit who in turn tried to dodge it and splash water back at them.

After two hours of just lying at the edge of the lake and watching the clouds I realized that I still had stuff to do.

Sandgem town was not that far away and I could make it before the end of noon with ease.

I got up and took Ralts on my shoulder again, she bid her new friends goodbye and we left to continue our journey.

I came across two Pokémon trainers who challenged me to a battle, and with me, I of course meant Ralts because I was not the one fighting.

The first fight was not that hard, he had a Charjabug which surprised me a little bit since that Pokémon was not from Sinnoh but Alola.

We still kicked his ass since his Pokémon was barely trained.

After the fight I asked him about it and he explained that he was not a professional trainer but just here to visit his grandmother in Sinnoh.

He had gotten bored and was looking for a distraction.

The second challenge was more interesting.

It was a kid around the age of 11 and he challenged me to a fight with money on the line.

I had wondered how the entire money thing went, I mean in the games everyone gave you money but in the anime they never did.

A brief exchange with the boy taught me a lot.

In this world you have two kinds of Pokémon battles, Casual and Professional.

Professional battles were Gym battles, Tournaments and other contests which were regulated by the League and required money to participate but you could also win money depending on how far you made it.

The exception to this rule were Gyms which could be challenged free of charge.

The amount of money you could win and had to pay upon losing was determined by an official algorithm that factored in the experience you had as a trainer, the duration of the battle and other factors that were kept hidden to prevent exploitation.

It was a lot like gambling except it was more skill based and probably meant to make trainers push themselves harder.

Battles against other trainers outside the official battles were considered Casual battles and didn't involve any money at all, which was apparently the kind of battle I had done with Chelsea and Barry.

However, people could bet money on a battle and make it a professional one, which some trainers apparently did to raise the stakes and make it more exciting for both parties.

And this kid just challenged me to a professional match.

I had wondered how an eleven year old boy has enough money to gamble with it but when he started bragging about his rich parents it became very clear.

Luckily for me, the kid was stupid.

He had a Timburr which was a fighting type.

Ralts being a Psychic/Fairy type had the double advantage and beat him with a simple Confusion, which was enough to finish it off.

Ralts and I continued our journey after that with more money and a bigger smile on our faces.

After that nothing more happened, we just kept walking and after two hours we finally reached the outskirts of a town.

It was bigger than Twinleaf town but not much, it had no significant landmarks or building style.

Pretty boring all things considered but that was okay, I was only here to meet Professor Rowan and this town served no other purpose for me.

While I was walking through the town without a clear idea where Professors Rowan's lab was, Ralts sensed something interesting.

She pulled my hair locks and excitedly pointed into a side street that led deeper into town, "Raaalts!"

I had no idea what it was, but I had some time to kill and decided to investigate it anyway.

We walked through the street, passed more houses and made a few turns until I saw the thing that must have drawn Ralt' attention.

A shopping mall that happened to be located at the heart of the town, I frowned and approached the building.

It was a colorful building that hosted all kinds of different small stores and I saw a restaurant as well.

I heard the people in the crowd murmur, sigh and groan displeased.

My interest was piqued.

The shop window and door were taped off with police tape and in the middle of it was a sheet of paper stuck to it.

The store had a distinct blue roof that had a Pokéball symbol on it and I could guess the purpose of this building.

It was a Pokémart, it was written underneath the Pokéball symbol with bold white letters so everyone could recognize it at first glance.

I still needed to visit one to get Pokéballs and Potions. I also wanted to look into getting a better diet for Ralts which the Pokémart supposedly sold.

"Huh, so this is what drew your attention?" I asked the Psychic Pokémon.

"Ralts."

I took a few steps towards the crowd and they departed so I too could get a chance to read what was written on the paper.

_Closed due to an ongoing Police investigation_

_Sorry for the inconvenience_

"What's this?" I asked out loud.

A girl standing next to me was the one to answer.

One quick look at her told me she was a Pokémon trainer as well, she was a year or two older than I was and had long black hair.

She wore a black shirt and had a backpack slung over her shoulder and a black belt around her waist that had a few Pokéballs attached to it.

"It's Crimson again," She sighed like she just heard her favourite show got canceled. "Just when I'm out of Pokéballs he has to strike."

I blinked. "Crimson?"

She turned to look at me and she had a confusion written all over her face. "Wait, you don't know who Crimson is?"

"I'm from another region." I gave her an apologetic smile, it was not even a lie. "I'm not really caught up with the news in Sinnoh."

She nodded understandingly. "Crimson, he's a thief who robs banks. He's a bit of a celebrity here in Sinnoh. He has a real name but the media started calling him Crimson so he began to use it too."

I stared blankly at her. "Never heard of, he's a celebrity you say?"

She shrugged. "He robs banks every few months or so, nothing to major he has been doing it for over 2 years and he is known as the best in Sinnoh. He hasn't been caught by the police despite the fact that he robs in broad daylight and doesn't care about keeping things under the radar."

Crimson, I recognized the name from the anime but it was all wrong, Crimson was a woman in the anime and worked together with another guy, they only appeared in one episode and were basically a throw away character, also they never robbed banks.

On the other hand, I was not in the original universe, considering all the differences I had already encountered it wasn't too hard to imagine things were different.

Also, it was quite possible there were multiple people going by Crimson in one universe.

I wrote him off as an unknown background character, it made sense that Team Rocket were not the only ones to commit crimes.

"He hasn't been caught in 2 years?" I asked.

"Yeah," A man joined the conversation. He was beardy and looked like he belonged in a woodcutting camp or something. "He works together with a Butterfree that knows the move Teleport. He shows up and takes what he wants and leaves, everytime the police manage to find his hideout he just teleports away and leaves them in the dust. The media loves this kind of cat and mouse game and gave him the fancy nickname Crimson, after the red capes he wears."

Thanks, random NPC for the infodump, still it was useful to know.

"Ugh, the media loves him but I hate him, I mean can't he just go back to robbing banks?" The girl complained.

"What do you mean with - back to robbing banks?" I asked confused.

"You don't know?" The man with the beard asked incredulously.

"He's new here." The girl replied before I could.

"Aaah, well that explains it." The man chuckled. "Crimson has been targeting Pokémarts all over Sinnoh lately, robbing everyone inside and taking all the TMs, it's been on the news. He apparently really like TMs."

TMs? So do they exist?

They don't exist in the anime so this was something to reconsider.

"Ugh, he doesn't care about anything other than the attention. I mean, robbing a bank has to be more lucrative than selling TMs right?" The girl said angrily.

"Weird shit." I muttered and the bearded guy nodded.

"Well, whatever his goal is I won't be able to get the newest edition of the Sinnoh Daily."

And with that the conversation quickly died down and I continued listening to the rumors of the people in the crowd.

No one else had anything new to say, most of them just complaining about the fact the store was closed.

I heard a seven year old telling his mother he wanted to be like Crimson later which was funny but that was about it.

It had made me wonder how Crimson managed to stay away from the police for so long, was the police incompetent or was Crimson that good?

If he has a Pokémon with Teleport shouldn't they just use a Pokémon with Disable?

I left the shopping mall and headed towards Professor Rowan's lab, my curiosity satisfied.

After asking a few times for directions I found his lab, it was a large metal construct built at the edge of town near the forest.

The building looked like it only served one purpose, researching.

The building was shaped circular like a small tower of Babel and had antennae and windmills built on top of it.

The main building was connected to a windmill by a stone tunnel that made a very stark contrast with the metal of the main construct.

The windmill was made of red bricks and bigger than the lab itself which was a questionable design choice.

It made the entire place look like someone just decided to build a lab next to the windmill and thought, _hey, why not just pretend those two buildings were built at the same time, no one will notice._

I didn't see any security measures, nor any cameras, only a small wall made of stone which I could jump over without any trouble. It made me wonder why no one has robbed this place yet.

This place was supposed to store all kinds of high tech stuff right? There was bound to be something expensive inside.

Then I remembered how the rival in Pokémon Silver and Gold just stole a Pokémon from Professor Generictree at the beginning of the game.

Yeah, I could see that happen here.

Ralts motioned me to stop stalling and I entered the building.

The inside looked much better and more organised than the outside.

It still had the metal walls which made me wonder how the building managed temperature but meh, it wasn't my house.

Machines were attached to the walls and to the ground, various monitors were all over the place.

In the back there was a metal desk with a large computer mounted into the wall.

Professor Rowan sat in a comfy looking chair with his back to me, tinkering away at a metal device that I couldn't even begin to describe.

A mug of coffee was placed on his left and an empty pizza box to his right.

He didn't hear me coming inside, either because he was too focused or because the TV above him was too loud.

It was displaying some news channel that according to the logo in the corner was named: Jubilife TV.

On the TV I saw a typical news studio with a blonde woman and a man with curly red hair sitting behind a desk and smiling at the camera.

A news show?

"And what do you think of this?" the blonde woman asked the man.

He gave the camera a bright smile that was only reserved for news readers.

"I think it's amazing and again it shows how all the regions are better and stronger when they work together."

The woman nodded approvingly. "And you are right. However now that Hunter J. is driven out of Unova people are scared she might come to Sinnoh, what are your thoughts on this scenario?"

"Mmm," The guy said thoughtfully. "Unova and Kanto both agreed to continue their alliance with Sinnoh if Hunter J. shows up in one of the three regions."

He smiled brightly at the camera again. " There's nothing to worry about for our watchers."

Nothing to my ass, Hunter J. was coming to Sinnoh.

And she might be a bigger threat than I initially thought.

The anime already showed her to be quite good at being a bad guy, she had a Salamence and an entire fleet to her disposal with minions included.

However, I might have to give her a bigger threat rating, if three regions had worked together to stop her and only managed to drive her off she was definitely going to become a pain in the ass.

"Ralts." Ralts said, urging me to stop staring and alerting the professor.

He perked up as he turned around and gave me a long look.

"Hello there," he said. "You are Dust right?"

He had a calming voice perfect for narrating audiobooks and he spoke as if he reconsidered every sentence before speaking out loud."

"I'm indeed Dust," I said.

"Hmm…" he said "You're quite early. At least a week earlier than Looker told me you will be arriving

I shrugged. "The hospital burned down and the doctor said I was healthy enough to travel."

'The Team Rocket situation?" Professor Rowan said. "That was quite unfortunate for you. Anyway my name is professor Rowan. Welcome to my laboratorium."

Professor Rowan gave me a stoic smile, he had a white hair and a neatly kept mustache, he looked to be around 60 years old but he radiated strength and calm.

He wore a brown coat with a blue suit underneath him with a red tie, and brown pants underneath it.

"I'm Dust," I said, "Or at least that's what I call myself."

"I read about your Agnosia, are you recovering well?" he asked sternly.

"Not much," I lied, "But I manage."

"Ralts raRalts." Ralts added and I nodded because it sounded like she was making a valid point.

"I see, and you decided to become a Pokémon trainer?"

"Yeah, I'm going to become a Pokémon trainer," I gave him my best grin, "Believe it!"

After all, I'm the summoned hero.

The man gave me a cold smile. "Well, we will see. But I assume you are here to unlock your Pokédex?"

"Among other things." I took out my Pokédex and handed it to Professor Rowan.

He took it and weighted it in his hand before walking over to his PC.

Ralts jumped off my shoulder to get a better look, her eyes widened when she saw the Pokédex disappear into one of the empty slots in the PC.

Her head turned to the screen where a new window popped up, Professor Rowan pressed a key on the keyboard and the window expanded.

My trainer information appeared on the screen, the amount of Pokémon I caught and seen, the amount of money I had (quite a lot) and in the right corner it showed an image of me Hylla had taken during my stay at the hospital.

Professor Rowan scrolled down and a large section of text appeared; it was detailing my multiple encounters with Team Rocket however there were some blank spaces and stuff they had entirely wrong.

For example it detailed how I had gotten into a Pokémon battle with a Team Rocket grunt while in actuality I just stabbed him.

Professor Rowan typed a long code into one of the empty bars and all the windows closed, a ping sounded and the Pokédex slid out of the pc again.

Rowan handed it to me and said; "Here you go kid. All the options should be unlocked."

I took it and flipped it open, a menu showed up with all kinds of options displayed with cute and simple symbols.

"You need any help with it?" Professor Rowan said concerned while I was quickly reading over all the options in the main menu.

"Nah," I clicked on the symbol that looked like an eye with a laser shooting out of it. "I love figuring things out myself."

A new menu popped open and I found the option for scanning Pokémon.

"Get ready Ralts." I knelt down and aimed the lense of the Pokédex at her.

A red beam shot out of it and began scanning her, she giggled as the red light faded over here before it disappeared.

"You figured it out pretty fast." Professor Rowan complimented me.

I nodded, figuring out how technology worked was something I was quite good with.

" _Ralts, the Feeling Pokémon. Ralts is the pre-evolved form of Kirlia. It can use the horns on its head to read human emotions. Ralts rarely shows itself to humans, but may occasionally approach when it senses positive or happy feelings.."_ A mechanical female voice spoke.

Hello Pokédex lady, also I already knew that.

I studied the options on the menu screen and there were quite a lot of them, considering it was the sub menu of a submenu it made me wonder how advanced this device was.

"Moves," I said out loud to indicate what button I was about to press but to my surprise the Pokédex lady copied what I just said and tapped the button itself...herself?

" _This Ralts, currently not nicknamed, has the special ability Telepathy. Currently known moves are: Confusion, Disarming Voice, Mega Punch and Double Team. This Ralts is a female and…"_

I cut off the voice with a tap on the screen and looked Ralts in the eyes. "Huh, so you know Telepathy?"

Ralts rubbed her head, clearly confused as well.

She shrugged after a short moment and muttered. "Ralts."

Mmm, weird, never heard her speak or anything like that. Does it mean we have to train it or will it develop over time?

I hadn't seen her use Double Team before either so maybe she just had an affinity for those moves?

I chuckled to reassure Ralts. "Don't worry about it. We'll get there eventually."

It would be extremely useful to master Telepathy, besides it being awesome to talk to her it was potentially one of the best offensive moves Ralts could have, especially with opponents stronger than her.

I made a mental note to study that later.

Knowing this world both powers would manifest the moment we needed them.

"The Pokédex is currently in the advanced mode but you can set it back to basic mode like most trainers do."

"Nope," I said, "I like it this way."

I closed it and put it away.

Professor Rowan folded his arms in front of him, "So, you said you had other reasons to visit me beside unlocking the Pokédex full capabilities?"

"Yeah, though still one quick question." I stood straight to meet the Professor's eyes. "Mega Punch? Isn't that a TM Move?"

"A typical rookie mistake. Although its a move that Ralts can learn with a TM she can also learn Mega Punch without it, though it's rare."

I stared blankly at him, they don't learn Mega Punch, or at least they don't in the games.

He saw my confused look and elaborated. "What do you know about TMs kid?"

"Not a lot."

"Well I suppose you still have to learn, it is true that most Ralts don't learn Mega Punch but they can learn it occasionally. However the effort to learn it and the time it takes is too big of a commitment for most trainers who would rather focus on the moves that come naturally from their Pokémon."

"So TMs are like cheat codes? A bypass for impatient people?" I thought out loud.

A cloud moved past the window and cast a shadow on Professor Rowan.

"Yes," he nodded. "And just like with cheats most people don't use them. It's allowed but it is frowned upon by the majority of the Pokémon trainers who consider it a trainer's duty to learn it the hard way. A move learned by TM is always weaker than when it's learned the hard way, it's also very expensive which means it is mostly used by people who have money to burn and care more about winning than the bond with their Pokémon."

Wow, he sounded judgemental.

Ralts didn't practice Mega Punch in the slightest but it was nice we had a move like that to our disposal. Although Professor Rowan was wrong about it requiring a lot of practice.

Lots of people in the anime thought that battles made Pokémon stronger and they weren't entirely wrong but battles were not the real cause.

What was it called again? False cause fallacy?

Whatever the point was. Pokémon might become tougher by battling physically but the real big guns like evolving and new moves were not achieved by battle but by stress.

Just look at the anime, the direr a situation was, the bigger the chance a Pokémon learns a new move or evolves.

And when are Pokémon under a lot of stress?

Indeed, in a battle. I guess it's something like how adrenaline works but it enhances the strength permanently.

Of course, this was just a theory, a game-

"A lot to take in?" Professor Rowan asked when I stayed silent for a few seconds, I really should stop monologuing in the middle of a conversation.

"Just processing this new information," I answered, "And I think I got it. TM bad, training good."

"That's one way to put it." Professor Rowan said dryly.

Ralts started hugging my leg for no reason at all, because why not?

He walked towards one of the shelves and took out a paperback book and handed it to me.

It had your typical Pokéball symbol in the middle and white bold letters spelled out: _Trainers Guide Sinnoh edition(7th released)_

"You like reading?" he asked and I nodded.

"It should cover most of your questions," he explained, "Though if you have more questions my number has been installed on your Pokédex."

"Thank you," I said and I put it in my backpack, this was hella useful.

"So, was that all?" He asked and I shook my head.

"One more thing," I gave him an apologetic smile, "you got any spare Pokéballs? I wanted to visit the store but it apparently got robbed and is closed."

"I'm sorry Dust," he shook his head, "but I just gave away my last spare Pokéballs. A boy came here just an hour before you."

I groaned, "was it Barry by any chance?"

His eyebrows quirked, "you know him?"

'Yup," I said, "Met him on the way here, we battled and chilled together before he stormed off. It seems like he got here first indeed."

Goddammit Barry, you made it personal.

This means I won't be able to get my hands on them until I reach Jubilife City and that I probably have to beat Roark, the first Gym leader, with only a Ralts.

I mean I could get a Pokémon between Jubilife City and Oreburgh City but I doubt I could get it to a decent level before facing the first Gym.

Then I remembered another option.

"Uh, Professor, you don't happen to have a spare starter Pokémon right?" I asked him, "Or a Pokémon you just got you can't take care of?"

He raised an eyebrow, "You know most trainers try to catch themselves a Pokémon?"

I picked up Ralts who smiled vaguely. "Already caught a Ralts, technically I never got a starter. Maybe you have one for me? Or maybe you have an egg I can take with me?"

He didn't budge.

"A Pikachu you found in the back chewing on some cables?"

Come on, you are the professor, you must have some spare rare Pokémon lying around in case someone important shows up.

He shook his head. "Although I appreciate the excitement I don't have any Pokémon I can give you right now."

That's so anticlimactic.

"Awww, that sucks."

"Raaaa ra Ralts!" Ralts copied.

"I will keep in mind you are still looking for your starter," Rowan said.

"Ralts!" My Pokémon leaned to the left and forced me to turn with her weight, I turned around and saw someone else had just entered the lab.

A boy with black hair had walked through the door, he was followed by a purple monkey that had a hand-like appendage stuck to its tail.

When he saw us standing in the corner his eyes lit up and he spoke.

"Hi, Professor Rowan. I was told you could help me find Pikachu?"

* * *

**Second longest chapter yet!**

**Anyway thanks for all the stuff and please reward me for writing such a long chapter with a kind review...please?**

**Well, cya all later!**

**-CaptainMoonshine-**


	19. Player 2

**Chapter 19:**

**Player 2**

Ash Ketchum, the eternal 10 year old, the eternal underdog and the savior of the world.

He was the protagonist of the anime for over 2 decades and by extension the most important person in the Pokémon world considering how he met about every Legendary in existence.

I had watched the anime countless times as kid, despite him being kinda stupid at times he was my childhood hero.

Sure, he lost about every tournament he entered and never fully evolved his team. He ignored type advantages most of the time and dumped his best Pokémon at the end of every season.

Still, he was my childhood hero.

Was he stupid? Yes.

But he was admirable in some way.

He lost but he never gave up, he never forced his Pokémon and every region he took only his Pikachu along with him (of course there were some exceptions, but let's be honest, only Pikachu really stays)

Even when he lost, he kept true to himself and he didn't change his philosophy and ideals. Most people would bend their own morals and ideas after facing many losses but Ash didn't.

While it was stupid it made him an honorable person in my view.

Didn't he win the Alola league though? I hadn't watched Sun and Moon but I heard people say it.

"Oh, hi there." Ash said when he saw me standing next to Professor Rowan. "My name is Ash Ketchum."

He wasn't 10.

That was the first thought that crossed my time.

He was around my age which surprised me.

He exists which confirms my theory this universe is a mix of anime and the platinum games.

This along with the fact that the universe is trying to stay consistent with the rules of logic and featuring unknown elements that were neither in the games and anime meant that I had to watch my steps.

I groaned, this means I have to find a way to beat Tobias' Darkrai and Latias in the

Lily of the Valley Conference.

Could I maybe get a Latias of my own? Maybe I could convince the one Ash had met to join me on my journey.

Although I had bigger problems. The world was going to end...more than once.

The fact that the anime was now a factor meant that the world was going to end about every season. What a great world to be in!

I gave Ash a good look, he was athletic. That was something I noticed at first glance.

Not overly but I could see some muscles on his arm that appeared to be sticky at first glance.

He had fierce black eyes, black hair and wore a black and red cap on his head.

He wore a blue sleeveless hoodie with gold trim and a white hood with a black short sleeve undershirt underneath it.

He had black fingerless gloves like I had and wore black jeans and firm blue sneakers that were showing signs of wear.

Huh, his outfit was from the Advanced Generations season.

"Sup, I'm Dust." I smiled at Ash, a genuine smile. "And I am going to become the best trainer there ever was."

Ash laughed, "Don't say that because Pikachu and I-" he pointed at his shoulder before realizing his yellow comrade wasn't there.

"Aipom," the purple monkey said, sounded depressed.

Interesting, so I was at the utmost start of the Sinnoh anime. That means that Dawn is somewhere with Ash's Pikachu and Team Rocket.

Was Dawn 16 too? Or would she be 10?

The fact that Ash was around my age made me believe he left Pallet town around the age of 10, the absolute minimum.

"Ralts!" Ralts waved at Ash.

"Hi," Ash leaned closer to meet Ralts on eye level. "My name is Ash Ketchum, nice to meet you."

Ralts booped Ash on the nose and it was fucking adorable.

"Aaahh, Ash Ketchum, Professor Oak already thought you would come." Professor Rowan coughed.

Ash rubbed the back of his head and gave him a weak smile. "Ah, sorry for rushing in here, I was told you could help me find Pikachu and I was really in a hurry."

Rowan gave Ash a small smile. "It's alright. I have something for you."

He walked back to his desk and retrieved a Pokéball. "Oak had the wisdom to send Aipom's Pokéball ahead."

Ash took the Pokéball and Aipom did a backflip, "Aipom!"

"Thanks Professor." Ash pocketed the Pokéball.

"As for the Pikachu you're missing?" Professor Rowan went on. "A young trainer I just sent out on her Pokémon journey just contacted me about a Pikachu she found. She is at the next Pokémon center on the way to Jubilife City. If you are fast enough you can catch up with her before dark."

Ah, that would be Dawn, interesting to see how the plot plays out right in front of my eyes.

"Okay, thank you very much!" Ash cheered and Aipom did a backflip, a smile plastered on her face.

"You should watch your Pokémon closely," He scolded the black haired boy, then he turned to me. "And that counts for you too, Dust."

I blinked, why was I getting scolded? Ash lost a Pokémon, I hadn't lost a single Pokémon yet. "Especially with the Snatchers you should keep a close eye on Ralts." Professor Rowan had a dark look on his face as he said that.

"The Snatchers?" Ash and I asked at the same time.

"You don't know them?" He asked incredulously.

Why does everyone play the "you don't know that card?" in Sinnoh, do these people do anything else other than keeping up with the news?

"I'm from Kanto," Ash shrugged.

"Different region too." I explained.

Professor Rowan had a disgusted look on his face. "The Snatchers are a group of criminals that are responsible for the disappearance of Pokémon all over Sinnoh. They steal wild Pokémon and capture Pokémon. Once they are taken they completely disappear off the radar."

I stared at Professor Rowan who seemed dead serious.

Snatchers, they were definitely not in the anime nor in the games.

"Man," Ash growled, clenching his fist and shaking slightly. "If I meet one of them I'll make sure to teach them a lesson."

"Ralts." Ralts said sounding concerned,

"I'll be sure to stay away from any shady figures I see." I finally said.

"It's better to avoid any confrontation. If you encounter any criminal activity you should contact the authorities instead." Professor Rowan said and I agreed with him.

If I come across a problem in the future I'll be sure to stay back while other people deal with the problems...why do I feel like Fate is laughing at me?

"Okay," Ash said reluctantly, then he perked up. "Anyway thanks for everything professor but I should be going. Pikachu is waiting for me!"

"Aipom!" the purple monkey climbed onto Ash's shoulder and smiled at us.

"See you later Professor, bye Dust!"

He turned around and ran away in a hurry.

Professor Rowan sighed, "And I had a no running-rule here."

"Aww," I mock complained. "And I was just about to run a marathon here."

Ralts burst out laughing, squirming in my arms as her tiny chest couldn't keep up with her laughter.

I raised an eyebrow as she was running out of breath, after 10 seconds it died down and she let out a yawn.

It was only 5 o' clock in the afternoon and she was already tired?

I did the mental math, we trained in the morning, fought Barry, she played at the lake for several hours and we fought more people on our way to Sandgem Town."

"Well," I said, "I think I should be going as well, find a place to set up camp for the evening."

"You could stay at the Pokémon Center in town." Professor Rowan offered.

"Wait, I can?" I asked surprised.

"It's free for registered trainers." Professor Rowan explained.

"Welp, then I'm going to claim a room. Thanks for everything Professor." I turned around to leave but before the professor called out to me before I stepped through the doors.

"Wait Dust." he called out and walked towards me. "You're going to visit Jubilife City next right?"

"That's my plan," I answered. 'Assuming I don't die along the way.'

"Well could you deliver a package for me? If you are going anyway?" he asked calmly.

"Sure," I said, "As long as it fits in my backpack I can bring something along for you."

He walked over to one of the cabinets and retrieved a small black box and handed it to me.

I took it and it was surprisingly heavy.

The black box was around the size of a Pokédex and the surface of the black box was smooth and spotless.

I didn't see a way to open it so I assumed it was an electric device.

"What's this?"

"It contains data that was sent to me by my colleague Professor Magnolia so I could study it myself. If you could pass it onto Professor Seikyo in Jubilife City, it would help me a lot." Professor Rowan said and I raised an eyebrow.

"If it contains data can't you just mail it or something?" I asked.

"I don't trust it to do that way, call me old but I believe it might be intercepted if I send it online. The data inside is quite valuable and sensitive."

"And I am your best choice?" I asked skeptically.

To my surprise he nodded. 'Yes. The report from the league said you perform good in stress situations. Seeing how you managed to deal with the Team Rocket situation I am inclined to agree with that statement."

Hylla this is your fault.

"Do you think you can do that?" he asked.

I smiled. "No problem."

I put the data container in my backpack and he gave me a small smile. "I'll be sure to send the address to your Pokédex."

"Yup, one delivery of very sensitive data incoming." I gave him a salute and turned around.

"Good luck with your journey." Professor Rowan smiled as I left the building.

Ralts and I found a Pokémon center and I was surprised to see that it wasn't the red building like in the games but instead it looked more like a small hotel.

The building was located close to the heart of town which was a questionable choice considering it would be the first place a traveling trainer would go to.

Also, it took a long time before I found it even though Sandgem town was a small town.

In the end I just used the GPS on my Pokédex and with the directions Pokédex lady gave me I could find it within 5 minutes.

The building was tall compared to the other buildings in this small town, around 3 stories and had a large red P placed in front of it with a signature Pokéball symbol above the entrance.

The inside wasn't really impressive, it featured a wide lobby with doors that led to what I assumed to be operation chambers.

A stairwell led up to the other floors which were reserved for people who wanted to stay the night.

There was no Nurse Joy which was a relief, my mind would shatter the moment there would be more than one Nurse Joy in existence because there is not a single law in the universe that should make it possible. And that's saying a lot considering I have a Pokémon on my shoulders who can produce soundwaves high enough to shatter stone.

Instead I found a bored guy sitting behind a desk, there were not a lot of people inside. Only a girl with her Mawile and a man with his Sandile.

I talked to the bored guy and when he noticed my Pokémon wasn't on the edge of dying he lost his interest.

He asked for my Trainer ID and I handed him my Pokédex, he scanned it and handed me a room key.

I wanted to ask him more questions but someone else walked in and demanded his attention.

Ralts and I headed upstairs and found our room.

It was spacious and had a bed in the middle and a TV mounted onto the wall in the corner.

An open window allowed fresh air to enter the room and a clock on the wall displayed the time.

There were some other default decorative furniture but nothing really stood out.

It really was just a hotel room, still it was free so that was awesome.

* * *

"Okay Pokédex Lady, I dub thee Oracle." I said with a dramatic voice.

" _Are you sure you want to rename device:390735 to Oracle?"_ The mechanical voice asked.

Ash had already named his Pokédex Dexter so that name was already taken and I refused to let it keep the name 390835 because that's a sucky name.

"Yes." I confirmed.

" _Device successfully renamed to Oracle. Hello I'm Oracle, a Pokédex programmed by Professor Oak for Pokémon Trainer Dust Wildfire of Sinnoh. My function is to provide Dust with information and advice regarding Pokémon and their training. If lost or stolen, I cannot be replaced."_

I blinked, huh, that was more than one sentence.

"Just don't go sentient on me okay?"

" _Confirmed."_

I watched Ralts but she was still fast asleep, not at all stirred by the conversation I just had with my Pokédex.

She was drooling, luckily I had managed to move her to the corner of my bed without her noticing it.

Two empty plates were placed on the ground and I still had a half eaten Pizza slice in my hand.

Next second it was gone and I had my hands free again.

I swiped a few times across the screen until I found the voice commands section.

The basic version of the Pokédex menu was way easier to use, I had to retrace my steps multiple times because I ended up in the wrong menu but all the options it offered made up for it.

The Pokédex had a function similar to smartphones that allow them to respond to certain questions even when not actively being used.

I installed a few emergency voice commands and a few more just to be sure.

When I had had enough voice commands to satisfy my paranoia I closed the sub menu and went to the scan option and scanned the sleeping Ralts.

My eyes went over the information but didn't find what I was looking for.

Ralts and I had been practicing her emotion sense powers while we were eating dinner, I had her keep track of people inside the Pokémon center by using their emotions and later had her find them again when he had lost track of them.

The idea behind this was simple; I want her to be able to sense someone's emotions and recognize the person later, even when in a crowd.

This was meant for double battles, if she mistook an ally for an opponent because they had similar emotional states it might cost me a victory.

Sadly there was no way to calculate how much stronger the emotion sense radar had become, it was really hard to measure her range. She could already keep track of multiple people within her range but she couldn't identify them or differentiate between them.

She could hold onto one person and remember their "signature" and track them down later by their "signature" but only one person at a time.

My ultimate goal was to reverse the emotion sense process; right now Ralts would feel happy if I did and depressed whenever I felt depressed.

It would be amazing if she could reverse it and induce emotional states at will.

Imagine her fighting an opponent and as the battle went on the other fighter would feel a crippling despair, even though it was winning it would still feel like giving up.

Sadly there were no signs of even getting close to that goal and I wondered if it's even possible but meh, a trainer could dream right?

I closed the Pokédex and put it away, instead I took the black box in my hands and tossed it up and down, knowing it would fall onto the blankets if I missed.

After doing that for a few seconds I became bored again, I considered reading the book but...I kinda didn't feel like reading.

My eyes narrowed down on the remote and I grabbed it and turned the TV on.

The TV zapped past a few channels that all had fancy names that didn't mean anything to me.

After some zapping, I came across a news broadcast that was filming how a group of Tauros in Kanto were on warpath to Dark City.

It was still light in Kanto, or at least it was in the broadcast. I had no idea if it was live or not.

The footage showed people arriving at the town, some came on Pokémon that could fly while others arrived riding on land Pokémon.

Around 30 people had gathered around the edge of the small town that looked like it was pulled straight from a western movie.

The people who had arrived seemed to be Pokémon trainers from varying ages, the youngest being 12 and the oldest being around 50.

They released their Pokémon and began to prepare for battle.

And when the stampeding herd finally arrived the battle wasn't impressive.

The moment they were in sight the Pokémon unleashed long range attacks on the Tauros; Thunderbolts, Shadow Balls and Swifts were thrown around and a couple of Tauros fell to the ground before they even crossed half the distance.

The Tauros decided it was apparently not worth it because they turned around and left.

Trainers and their Pokémon began cheering and hugging each other They gave each other high fives and acted like they had won the battle of their life instead of scaring away a herd of Tauros.

Though it was pretty anti-climatic the broadcast cut off and switched to a different scene.

A group of people sat around a table in what looked like a TV studio, they began talking about the heroic deeds of the trainers and praised them for taking down a D-level threat.

I endured 5 minutes of them putting the "brave trainers" on a pedestal before getting bored and switching to a different channel.

This time it was a movie and I settled underneath the blanket.

No better way to fall asleep than watching a movie right?

The movie itself was very confusing but mostly because I had missed the intro.

Apparently, it was about a group of humans and Pokémon that were going on a quest to destroy an amulet that would decide the fate of the world. It was pretty amusing to watch, especially when they got stuck in an underground city with a thousand Raticate chasing after them.

It was vaguely familiar but I was a bit too tired to think about it and I didn't really care anyway,

After all, it had been a busy day for me.

I fell asleep before the movie ended.

**A/N So as you probably noticed this story will be a combination of both the anime and the games with some all the future generations being present and having an impact on the story.**

**This story will be darker than the anime, though it's not right now the story will get darker as it progresses.**

**Pokémon will have a bigger impact on the world than in the anime where they are all cute and harmless and this world will try to be as realistic as possible without losing touch with canon or being overly gritty and edgy.**

**People and Pokémon will die and violence outside Pokémon battles will happen.**

**if it doesn't bother you too much then keep reading!**

**Cya all later!**

**-CaptainMoonShine-**


	20. Mind Games

**Chapter 20:**

**Mind games**

* * *

The chess pieces gleamed underneath the sun that was straight above it in the sky.

Black and white pieces stood in neat rows, though the board was slightly tilted to the left because we were playing on a hill.

It had been cloudy today and I was worried the wind would blow away our game but it had lied down after our training session in the morning.

It was our fifth day on our journey to Jubilife City and we had woken up early in the morning again to train.

I had taken her on a jog through the woods, carried her on my shoulders when she became exhausted and then returned to the road again.

I had her practice full force Confusion and Disarming Voice against tree barks while trying to keep up Double Team clones.

After learning that she could do it according to the Pokédex I had her try to create clones of herself for half a day.

It first resulted in her just sitting and being bored but when the sun went down suddenly two Ralts had appeared.

After that it was way easier, right now she could create four Double Team clones and although it wasn't a lot I was really glad she could do it in the first place.

I had done some testing to see what Double Team could do and it was kinda underwhelming.

It was literally nothing more than an illusion that would break upon contact.

The clones could move independent of Ralts but they relied on Ralts' vision and couldn't affect the world around them.

They could however be used to bait people into attacking if used smartly and they could put people into a situation where they could only attack one at the time.

Still, I had created several attack patterns for Ralts that used Double Team, both offensive and defensive.

I had no idea how Ralts created the clones, according to the Pokédex Double Team clones were created by moving so fast that Pokémon created clones but that didn't seem right.

Maybe they were illusions that were imprinted into the viewer's mind or maybe it was just a physical illusion created by warping space, whatever it was, it was weird.

While Ralts was doing that I tried to teach myself how to fight with a knife.

Though I watched countless action movies with knife fights and I had seen a few tutorials on youtube that I only watched out of boredom.

And turns out, I couldn't remember anything useful.

After a few minutes of awkwardly trying to remember anything about fighting with a knife I could only remember the phrase: "When you see someone with a knife you run. 99% of all the tricks won't work in a real fight."

After some half assed stabbing motions I gave up and decided to read the guidebook Professor Rowan had given me.

I know I need to get some offensive powers of my own, if my first week was any indication of my future in this world I don't want to rely on my Pokémon to fight my battles.

I should really start looking into Aura and Psychic Powers; would Sabrina be able to teach me?

I made a few notes in my Pokédex and kept reading.

After 2 hours of Ralts boring herself with training I gave her a hug and fed her salad.

I wasn't sure if she was supposed to eat that stuff but when she didn't spit it out I assumed her stomach could endure it.

After that I started with the second part of Ralts' training, the mental part.

I moved the white pawn two spaces forward and the game of chess started, Ralts narrowed her eyes and focused on the board.

The game of chess was only one of many ways I tried to make Ralts smarter than the average Pokémon; I had her try to solve puzzles as fast as possible and even had her play games with me while keeping up Double Team clones which made it really hard for her to focus.

Ralts was a psychic/fairy Pokémon and most of the psychic moves relied on the brainpower, considering how most Pokémon with a higher level of sentience were Psychic in type.

And just like with any muscle the brain could be trained to perform better.

We were in our 4th game when we were interrupted by someone.

I was just castling my king and rook when he coughed and forced me to pay attention.

Turning around I frowned, honestly I expected to see Chelsea or Barry to challenge me to a duel, instead I met the dark blue eyes of someone else.

He had dark purple hair that had one big strand hanging over the middle of his face and had a scowl on his face that seemed to be permanent.

Unlike almost everyone else I had met he didn't wear short sleeves, instead he wore a purple jacket with long sleeves and a dark blue shirt underneath it.

"Oh, hello there, didn't see you." I smiled at him, knowing he wouldn't appreciate it.

"My name is Paul, I heard about the blue haired trainer that beat Flo's challenge, is that you?" he said, not pausing or smiling.

I shrugged, "yeah, that's me."

Flo was a trainer I had encountered on my third day of traveling towards Jubilife City.

She lived in a small town named Riley Town that was on the route towards Jubilife City. It wasn't in the game or in the anime but when I passed through I could easily see why.

Riley Town was small, like smaller than Sunbright Town small.

In fact, it was not much more than a Pokémon Center and a row of houses around a big plaza that featured a concrete fountain with a statue with Palkia on top of it but that was about it.

A trainer named Flo lived in that town and apparently she challenged everyone who passed through to a professional match with the conditions they had to beat her Pokémon within 3 minutes or she would win.

However there was a catch, her Pokémon was a Metapod.

As you could probably guess her Metapod had a ridiculous high defense, even for a Metapod.

Most trainers who passed town accepted the challenge upon seeing her Metapod, thinking they could stack up enough damage within 3 minutes for the shell to crack.

While I was passing the plaza I saw an ongoing match and witnessed with my own eyes how Metapod survived a Seismic toss, flamethrower and a whole barrage of slashes from a Charizard.

Metapod kept using harden and didn't sustain any real damage the entire match.

The clock timed out and Flo had won the match by simply waiting for the clock.

When her opponent had to pay up he didn't look happy.

The people who had gathered, a mix of travelers and town's people didn't look surprised at all because this happened a lot.

After seeing that I couldn't resist the urge to try for myself and an hour later we were at the plaza, our Pokémon in front of us and ready to battle.

The nurse who worked at the local Pokémon Center offered to be the referee and the battle started.

I had given Ralts special instructions before the match and once the single was given to start she ran towards Metapod.

Metapod used Harden and a silver shine flashed over its entire body.

Ralts didn't attack though instead she grabbed the Metapod and tossed it into the fountain.

Everyone stared in shock as Metapod was drowning in the fountain water.

Flo just stared, her mouth wide open, before she realized her pokémon was drowning.

She recalled her Pokémon and with that I had won the challenge.

It was really shocking to see that no one had thought of drowning the so-called "invincible" Pokémon, I mean it still needs to breath right?

No matter how hard it skin was, all living things need air.

Having no appendages to swim, Metapod had lost within a minute.

Considering it could talk there had to be a hole air passed through.

I had assumed that it either used the nose-like appendage it had to breath, or spiracles and breathing tubes like cocoons from my world.

Maybe everyone else was just too focused on damaging it and breaking through its hard skin.

Flo bursted out crying and I felt bad for her but when one of the spectators in the crowd had told me how much money she had made with the challenge the guilt faded away quickly.

I gave her the advice to "not be a one trick pony" and left with a shitload of money I had earned, apparently she had a high status in the algorithm because I earned a whole lot of more money than I felt I deserved.

And looking at Paul in front of me I guess the word had spread faster than I could travel.

"I am challenging you to a 3 on 3 battle," he said sternly and held out three shrunken Pokéballs clutched between his fingers.

I pointed at Ralts, "Sorry but she is my only Pokémon so it has to be a 1-on-1. If you are up to it of course."

The last part was directed at Rats who nodded and slammed her two fists together, challenging Paul.

"Fine with me." Paul sneered and I rolled my eyes.

Why did Ash's rival have to bother me? Shouldn't he be somewhere else and bully some poor Pokémon?

Luckily for us the hill we stood on was close to a Pokémon Center so we decided this was a good place to hold our match.

Although I didn't really like Paul in the anime it was a small blessing he had showed up. Ralts and I had practiced some new moves and techniques and we were eager to test them out.

Considering Paul had just experienced a draw against Ash if the anime timeline was at play it meant that he wasn't strong enough to be a real challenge yet.

"Elekid, time to fight." Paul said and he threw his Pokéball.

I raised an eyebrow; Elekid wasn't really the opponent I wanted to face. It could be done but I really wanted to fight his Chimchar to test out a theory I had in preparation of my first Gym battle against Roark.

A yellow creature appeared in front of Paul, it had a round body with arms larger than its whole body.

On its head it had two weird horns that made it look like a plug, which was very funny in my opinion.

It cried out its own name like Pokémon do all the time and shot a glare at Ralts who answered the glare with a grin.

"Elekid," Paul began, "Use Thunder."

And the battle began.

* * *

**A/N a short chapter today, felt really tired and had to rewrite 60% of it because I realized that most people wouldn't be interested in reading about a chess match. Decided to cut the battle for next chapter so I could upload today.**

**-CaptainMoonShine-**


	21. Crippling Victory

**Chapter: 21**

**Crippling Victory**

* * *

The hill we stood on provided us a great view.

Mushlands stretched as far as the eyes could see in the west while Mount Cornet loomed on the opposite side, endless in its own way.

The sun had began its slow descent down the heaven and in turn the wind changed from being spring like warm to cold and biting.

It was a perfect place to hold a battle in my eyes, a place worthy of a crushing defeat.

Elekid had taken the first move, it was spinning its arm rapidly and arcs of lightning appeared around its arm.

My distracted mind began to wonder how that would work? Was his arm functioning like a dynamo or was he ionizing his own blood cells with the movement; maybe it was just showing off?

"Ralts, don't let him finish, Confusion!"

Ralts prepared a Confusion but before she could fire it Elekid released all the electricity it had generated and a stream of lightning shot towards Ralts.

There was nothing to conduct the electricity's path, no water on the ground nor anything resembling iron around us.

Yet it flowed through the air, defying anything that resembled anything close to the laws of physics, or at least it looked like that.

The speed it traveled at was too slow for actual lightning, I could follow its trail with my own eyes which is not possible with actual lightning at such a small distance.

Okay, so it wasn't an actual lightning strike, it must be, subconsciously, ionizing the air to create a path for the lightning to follow, or maybe it was warping a magnetic field.

If I ever get my hands on an electric type I should look into manipulating the flow of electricity into another shape.

Lightning whips would be awesome.

Still despite the fact that it was not like getting hit by actual lightning it still struck Ralts with a deafening blow.

"Thunder Punch!" Paul yelled as Ralts was launched backwards by the blow.

Elekid charged after Ralts, its fist crackling with electricity again.

Luckily Ralts wasn't stupid, she had the presence of mind to fire the Confusion she had been building up and the purple rays slammed into Elekid as well, evening the score by throwing him back as well.

Both Pokémon landed on their backs and I feared that Ralts wouldn't get up.

Due to Ralts' unusual campy fighting style she avoided getting hit most of the time which meant that she had built up almost no pain resistance and defense.

If this were an RPG she would be the assassin, fast moving speed, decent attack speed but a very low defense.

It made me wonder if my Ralts was unusually weak or just a lack of training, considering i had picked her up in the middle of nowhere 2 weeks ago it wasn't too much of a stretch.

Ralts got up and was prepared to go another round, Elekid followed and let out a victorious cry.

"Nice," I encouraged her. "Now use Sandstorm!"

"What!" Paul's eyes flared and his fist clenched. "Ralts can't learn Sandstorm!"

She can, if you're creative enough.

Ralts inhaled deeply and unleashed a high pitched scream, much higher than ever before.

Elekid was too far away for Disarming Voice to hit but Elekid wasn't the target.

The low aimed Disarming Voice tore through the earth and soil in front of Ralts, dirt, grass and debris were shot up in the air.

Ralts closed her eyes after that to protect them.

"What is this nonsense?" Paul muttered and Elekid gave Ralts a wary look.

When Ralts had stirred up enough debris she shot 8 different Confusions, each spreading into a different direction, scattering the dust that already blocked Elekid's sight.

Within 5 seconds Ralts had managed to cover the entire battlefield in a sandy mist that was almost impossible to see through.

Elekid let out a cry as the Confusion that carried the hazy mist hit it. However, it was a low power Confusion and the damage output was low compared to Ralts' other attacks.

Sadly, Elekid didn't get the Confused status effect which was pretty rare.

In the last few days of battling random trainers only a few Pokémon had gotten the Confused status effect while the majority was only knocked back and got damaged.

"That's not a Sandstorm." Paul said, glaring at me.

And he was right, it didn't look in the slightest like an actual sandstorm.

But it still functioned as a mist that could hide Ralts from sight.

The sand attack we had created with Disarming Voice during our battle against Barry was already useful but it had terrible range.

If we tried to do a sand attack with Confusion it would be even worse because the psychic energy ray doesn't stir up any dust that's outside its range because the rays don't bounce.

However when the two attacks were combined it created a much better result.

The end result was a hasty mist of debris that blanket a large area in a cloud of dust that was almost impossible to see through.

Ralts however didn't need to see.

"Thunder, again!" Paul said, probably figuring out that the rapid motion of swinging Elekid arm would blow away the mist and it was a smart move.

Ralts however appeared behind Elekid and without my command she knew what to do.

She started her most powerful combo; she jumped up and used Disarming Voice to launch herself even further while at the same time hitting Elekid with Disarming Voice in the head.

The mist was blown away by the sound waves and Elekid could see again but Ralts was already up in the sky.

She turned around when she reached the top of her climb and her left arm began glowing white while she began her descent.

"Elekid, Brick Break!" Paul didn't waste a second.

Shit.

Brick Break was a move similar to any punch beside bypassing Light Screen and Reflect but the execution was different.

Where a normal punch was just thrown into a direction Brick Break was swung downwards like a Karate chop.

That swing made it a good anti-air move, stopping its opponent's previous momentum and punishing them at the same time by slamming them down into the ground.

"Ralts, Confusing Punch!" I countered and while Ralts was falling and charging up Mega Punch she executed another attack at the same time.

Purple rays shot out of her forehead and crashed down on Elekid before she could land.

It was a low power Confusion which could be fired while charging up Mega Punch, convenient as shit, I know.

The purple ray hit Elekid and although the damage done was laughable it made it flinch and that was enough to interrupt its Brick Break.

Before Elekid could recover Ralts' Meteor Smash crashed down on it and Elekid was drilled into the floor while Ralts let out a dramatic cry.

After that debris again stirred up and Ralts jumped back, her fist still clenched in case she had to follow up with another attack.

"Elekid get up, now!" Paul yelled and Elekid whimpered.

The dust cleared and revealed a small crater with a yellow Pokémon standing in the middle of it, heavily damaged but still standing.

Damn, this Elekid had a high defense or he was very well trained.

Well, Paul was shown to expose his Pokémon to heavy attacks during their training because he is that kind of person.

It made sense since it also managed to get a draw against Pikachu but still annoying as hell.

"I see your strategy." Paul said with a small smile, or was it a sneer? "You bait out an opportunity and use combination moves to deal damage but that won't work if we approach."

"Ralts." Ralts spat out and I had no idea what she said.

"Sure, whatever you say." I answered, not sure if I should deny or confirm his statement. Personally, I still hadn't designed a battle philosophy beyond the hit-and-run but if he thought it was something like that it was fine with me.

Paul groaned and I grinned at him.

"Elekid, hit Ralts with your best Thunder Punch now!"

He didn't sound encouraging, instead it sounded like he would kill Elekid if it didn't listen.

Elekid obeyed its trainer and ran towards Ralts, its fist crackling with electricity again.

It was a mad dash, I could see it in one glance, an all or nothing attack for Elekid. It was standing on its last legs and he had enough power for one attack.

Theoretically Ralts could tank the hit and Elekid would lose by just running out of spirit to fight but I still had a new technique to test out.

Okay, time for our finishing move to end this battle.

"Ralts, FINISH HIM! SHADOW COUNTER!"

Ralts narrowed her eyes and nodded.

Elekid didn't stop , it kept dashing at Ralts but the white humanoid didn't falter, instead she patiently waited for Elekid to strike.

The fist of Elekid glowed yellow and electricity danced the entire length of his body.

Elekid swung its arm and hit Ralts in the face.

Except it passed through her head and the illusion dispersed, as he struck air he stumbled forward, not meeting the force it expected to meet.

It reminded me of when you think of a staircase that is longer than it is and you take a wrong step and fall down.

The ghostly feeling caused Elekid to fall through the double team Clone.

Behind the faded Double Team clone the real Ralts appeared, previously hidden behind the illusive clone and safely outside Elekid's initial range.

Her fist was glowing white and a nasty grin was plastered onto her face.

Captain Falcon style she had charged up the Mega Punch and now it was time to end it.

She stepped forward and swung her fist at the stumbling Elekid.

It was smashed straight into the face and he was thrown backwards, he landed on the ground and created a small trail before coming to a stop.

Shadow Counter had worked.

Ralts and I had brainstormed on the idea of turning the tables once an opponent tried to use close combat against her long range attacks.

The result was a technique I named: Shadow Counter.

It was very situational; it relied on tricking the opponent into committing to a melee attack and bait it into attacking the clone, trusting tunnel vision would blind it from seeing what was going on.

Behind the illusion the real Ralts would charge up a Mega Punch and wait until the enemy broke through the clone and it would either really be confused or it wouldn't be able to react fast enough, both options were good enough.

The biggest weakness of Shadow Counter was that it failed against multi hit moves or attacks that either lasted longer or had bigger range.

Volt Tackle and Double Kick would both break through the illusion and attack the real Ralts afterwards, intended or not.

However Elekid's Thunder Punch was a single hit move with relative small range and thus it was perfect.

Ralts walked towards the Pokémon, her fist ready to attack again, though I expected she would use Disarming Voice if it really came to it.

Elekid didn't move and Ralts smiled widely.

"Well," I grinned at Paul. "Seems like victory is ours."

Paul opened his mouth to speak but stopped, his eyes snapped towards Elekid.

"Ralts!" Ralts muttered and her eyes widened, I followed her gaze and a pit in my stomach grew.

"Nononono, this can't be happening." I muttered.

In front of me Elekid's body began glowing white.

White light flared around its body and it began to form into a sphere that ultimately consumed Elekid's entire body and hid it from sight.

Nononononno! This is so unfair.

"Ralts!" I yelled as I saw Rays of light shoot out of the white sphere. "Get away-"

Too late, a large figure appeared as the sphere and the light faded away.

A yellow clawed hand with black stripes on it reached out to Ralts and grabbed her.

She squealed as she was lifted up in the air and met the gaze of the newly evolved Pokémon.

It roared and slammed Ralts down on the ground, she let out a cry as she was pushed down with an impact that could shatter rocks.

I was about to forfeit the match but Electabuzz wasn't done.

It let out another roar and began to glow yellow, electricity spiked around its body, way more than before.

Large arcs of lightning flew around it and covered his entire body, it screamed and the lightning intensified.

The body of Electabuzz had become one big generator and it unleashed all its stored up power into its palm where Ralts was helplessly squirming and trying to wiggle herself free.

The entire area glowed yellow and Ralts screamed.

And a second later it was over.

A red beam sucked in Electabuzz and Paul stood in its place, scowling but a small smile visible on his face.

"I win." he said coldly and he turned around.

While he walked away with his back to me he muttered something; "Pathetic."

I gritted my teeth and looked at Ralts who remained unmoving.

Her body was still smoking and she smelled like burned flesh.

I had to resist the urge to vomit, it wasn't the smell.

Just the horrible realization.

This was so unfair.

"Oracle," I whispered while trying to keep my voice steady. "Notify the nearest Pokémon Center I'm coming."

"Confirmed." the mechanical female voice answered.

I picked up Ralts and began carrying her.

As I walked a thought kept repeating itself in my head.

_This wasn't supposed to happen, this was unfair_

* * *

**A.N Thanks for reading.**

**Cya all next Chapter!**

**-CaptainMoonShine-**


	22. To Defy a God

**Chapter 22:**

**To Defy a God**

* * *

I carried Ralts to the nearest Pokémon Center in my arms, she wasn't moving.

First, it was because she was still in shock but later because she lost her consciousness.

The Pokémon Center was built near a small lake and was close to the road to Jubilife City yet far away enough that it served a purpose.

Inside a girl was waiting for me and she took Ralts to a special room where she put Ralts inside a small device that looked very similar to an incubator.

If I were a better trainer I would've stayed by her side but I did not.

I dumped my stuff in a room I had claimed for the night and told the girl to call me the moment Ralts woke up.

My insides still feeling cold, I wandered outside until I found a place I could sit and gather my thoughts.

After 4 minutes of wandering I found a nice cliff that overlooked the mushlands.

The area was glowing orange, the water reflecting the orange sky while the sun was touching the horizon.

The color of the sky was perfect for a warm summer night, yet it still was spring and the wind was making the night cold instead of warm and relaxing.

I sat down on the edge and took a deep breath.

I just couldn't stand the idea of waiting inside for Ralts to wake up; I knew she would be okay, it was a rational fact.

Pokémon get hurt all the time and the damage Ralts had sustained was very low compared to what high level Pokémon experienced during a match.

Still I felt horrible for not staying.

There was nothing I could do or say to Ralts to help her and if she woke up with me sitting next to her bedside I wouldn't be able to do anything except apologize.

I buried my face in my hands and tried to steady my breath, I was getting emotional and I would start crying. I wouldn't stop crying.

It wasn't just the match that made me feel horrible, I was used to losing, it's part of life after all.

But this felt so wrong.

Ralts and I had been unstoppable and beaten everyone in our way.

We had spent so much time training and I had spent hours thinking up combos and painfully trying to remember every small detail from the anime and the games so I wouldn't start forgetting.

We deserved to win, Ralts and I had a stronger bond than Paul and Elekid and we had been more creative in our fighting style.

But in the end it was just a random factor that turned the tables and led to a crushing defeat.

It was humiliating in a weird way, if I lost to Ash I would just congratulate him and take notes for next time.

But to lose against Paul, a person who had the personality of a cardboard cut out?

It felt horrible.

Maybe it wasn't just Paul, maybe it was my presence in this world.

How I had come here, expecting a power fantasy, only to get my arm ripped open by a low level Raticate the first day I arrived.

Keep in mind, I didn't make the choice to be in this world.

Yet Fate kept throwing me around like I was her toy, taken out of the box only to play in some twisted scenario she had thought up.

Hylla's shenanigans at the hospital, Team Rocket and then discovering that this world wasn't like the cheerful anime or the easy games.

Being around Ralts meant I had to keep my emotions in check: No thinking about consequences or what the hell was going on and the world I left behind.

And losing to Paul only added to the pile of small frustrations because it told me one thing.

Fate can and will screw me over.

"Does it even matter what I do?" I asked out loud, trying to reach whoever brought me to this world.

I studied the landscape in front of me to spot any invisible legendaries who were watching me but I saw nothing out of the ordinary.

Letting out a deep sigh, I closed my eyes and tried to push away the feeling of injustice and anger.

Hours passed like that. I just sat there and watched the sun dip underneath the horizon, taking the orange sky with it.

Soon it was getting cold but I didn't mind it really, it was uncomfortable but it made me feel real.

Like this world was more than just a rush of action and emotions.

It wasn't until midnight that someone joined me.

She wordlessly sat down next to me, her legs dangling over the edge of the cliff.

I raised an eyebrow; wasn't she supposed to be in bed and recovering?  
She must have snuck out and found me using my emotional signature, considering I hadn't gotten a call from the Pokémon Center she had woken up.

I wasn't that far away from the hospital but still…

She took hold of my left arm, embracing it and she rested her head against my upper arm.

Her horn was slightly pressing into my arm but it wasn't too much of a problem.

"Today sucked didn't it?" I grimaced and looked at her.

Ralts eyes met mine.

As if a spell was broken she buried her face in my arm and began crying.

It shocked me.

I had never seen her cry before, whimper and crying in pain yeah but never like this.

She cried her lungs out, whimpered and wailed like a banshee.

Her breath began to shake as she couldn't keep crying without losing her breath.

Tears streamed down my arms, she tried to stop a few times but she couldn't stop.

Seeing this I felt a pang of guilt shoot through me.

Seeing her cry like this made me feel horrible, seeing her cry while I was doing nothing made me feel worse.

I was maybe thrown into this world involuntarily but I had made promises of my own.

I had a Ralts to take care of, responsibilities and right now I wasn't doing anything useful.

The reason Ralts was crying was unknown to me; she was a Pokémon and despite having a mindset similar to humans it was still different.

Was she ashamed? Scared I would be angry or did she feel cheated as well?

She couldn't talk and her Telepathy was still not working so I could only guess.

I took a deep breath, my Ralts was crying and I had to do something about it.

Get my shit together and stop self pitying.

"Hmmm…" I mused when I managed to get a grip on my emotions. "Now it's the perfect time for a heartwarming speech with encouraging undertones."

Ralts' crying halted and I knew I had her attention, the problem was that I had no idea what to say.

Welp, the truth never hurts -said no one ever.

"A speech about bravery, learning from your mistakes and friendship..." I paused. "But I won't."

I looked at Ralts, she was watching me, hanging on every word I said.

"Because today was fucking bullshit." I finally said.

"Ralts?" She had finally stopped crying, but her voice was still shaky and she sounded fragile.

"I mean you were amazing and you did everything perfect. You made no mistakes and both of us did all we could. But we lost anyway and only because Fate's a bitch."

I grimaced, "We should've won. There was nothing we could've done differently to change the outcome. Just a random, inevitable factor. So that's why I can only tell you one thing."

I gave Ralts my best smile. "Suck it up."

"Ralts!?" She muttered, not expecting that.

Shrugging, I gave her a chuckle. "We can't change it or learn from it. All we can do is accept it and carry on. It sucks a lot but in the end we can only suck it up and keep going."

I picked up Ralts and put her in my lap, she didn't resist; she kept watching me intently though.

"Today we cry," I said. "And tomorrow we fight."

She was still not convinced, huh, quick a joke!

Paraphrasing, I said. "You know, where I come from we have a saying: When life gives you lemon you don't make lemonade. Instead you burn down life's house and show you don't take shit like that."

Ralts chuckled and I let out a relieved sigh.

She hugged me and leaned her head against my chest, no longer crying but instead she was smiling peacefully.

"So suck it up because tomorrow we will keep going, just to spit Fate in the eye." I whispered, more for myself then for Ralts.

Life sucks but you gotta keep going, just to piss off someone you don't like.

I looked at Ralts to see what she was thinking but her eyes were closed and she appeared to be sleeping.

Huh, cute.

I looked up at the moon and I imagined it being the eye of a god looking down on me.

"You heard that Arceus?" I whispered. "Ralts and I will keep going, so if you are the one who summoned me, get ready for a battle, and if you're not the one. Please pass on my message."

I stood up and carried Ralts back to the Pokémon Center, still sleeping in my arms.

Suddenly the night no longer felt cold and depressing, it felt warm and inviting instead.

* * *

**A/N:**

**Hope you people liked this chapter because this story won't be slice of life forever.**

**So anyway, keep favoriting, following and reviewing!**

**Cya all later!**

**-CaptainMoonShine-**


	23. Tales of the World

**Chapter 23:**

**Tales of the World**

* * *

" _Seismic waves of 5.4 on the scale of Groudon, struck this morning in the East part of Galar. There is major damage done to the landscape and it seems that the casualties among Pokémon and humans are relatively low. The earthquake's epicenter was luckily in a wild area and no-"_

I tapped on the screen of my Pokédex and the radio switched to a different station.

Nothing important happening in Galar it seems, though it was interesting to see that people used Groudon as a magnitude scale instead of Richter like my world had. Does this mean they recorded a Groudon related earthquake once and used that as a 10?

"Raaaltts!" Ralts complained and pulled a hair lock.

I raised an eyebrow, "Seriously? You want to hear about that?"

"Ralts." She exclaimed and I sighed and switched back to Galar Star-Radio, the most important news station according to them.

The Pokédex began playing the radio again and the people in the studio were discussing the aftermath of the earthquake.

I tuned it out as Ralts kept listening to it, from atop of my head.

It had been a grave mistake to listen to the radio while Ralts was nearby because the moment I flipped open the Pokédex she wanted to listen in too, despite the fact that I only wanted to do a quick listen to see what was going, she wanted to listen to it till the end.

My guess was that she was starving for entertainment, considering she was now paying attention to 3 nerds talking about seismic waves and she genuinely seemed to like it.

Guess I had to get her a book sometime in the future, otherwise I wouldn't be able to actually do something useful.

It was kind of funny though, the fact that I considered an earthquake unimportant news. In my old world it would be big news but living in this world has changed my view on a lot of subjects.

I had been listening to the news every evening, first Sinnoh Daily and after that I did a quick check on all the other regions.

The Pokédex was able to receive radio signals from almost all over the world which was very convenient, or so I thought.

You see, It always struck me as odd that people thought it was a good idea to send a 10 year old kid into the world and though Looker had told me that most people waited until 16 it was possible from the age of 10 which seemed like utter bullshit to me at first.

But now after listening to the radio for a week, reading the guide book from Professor Rowan for 3 times and seeing the world of Pokémon with my own eyes it became clear.

You know, the usual bullshit that happens to Ash in the anime? Like how every week or so a small town is in danger because of some stupid Pokémon related isue? Or how a giant Tentacruel just attacks the city out of nowhere or an ancient fossil Pokémon breaks free and decides to go on a rampage?

Turns out, that bullshit does not happen because Ash is the anime protagonist.

That bullshit happens everywhere around the world.

Apparently living in a world that has creatures with the powers of the gods made it a bit dangerous for people and Pokémon to live in.

Just listening to the radio for a week made me realize that; in this week alone there were about 4 natural disasters caused by Pokémon and multiple small towns threatened by flocks and herds of Pokémon who were pissed off for some reason.

Shit doesn't happen to Ash, it happens to everyone.

Which kind of makes sense, in a world with bullshit creatures there are bound to be bullshit problems.

And that's where Pokémon trainers come in.

I really had to read between the lines in the Trainers Guide Sinnoh edition but after re-reading it a couple times I think I understood it a bit.

You might wonder how the entire world hasn't torn itself apart with all those Legendaries roaming the world and the truth is: the world almost ended a few times.

In fact, it's not that rare for the world to almost end at all.

History in this world was filled with disasters on a large scale and people in this world relied on Legendaries and Aura Guardians to help them and fix their shit.

However nowadays the Aura Guardians no longer exist and Pokémon still cause trouble for both humans and other Pokémon.

So the League thought: Hey, dealing with that stuff is very costly and takes a lot of time and organizing, why don't we make someone else do our job?

And here comes in the entire "becoming a Pokémon trainer' business.

It's this world's number one job with great promises of fame, glory and money. Not in that specific order but you get the idea.

And why wouldn't one want to be a Pokémon trainer? It's awesome, you travel the world, make friends with Pokémon and if you are good enough you become a hero like Ash!

And heroes are what this world really needs, so that's why they supply people with all the possibilities to become Pokémon trainers.

They set up tournaments, Gyms and free Pokémon Centers instead of spending money on every problem that pops up in the region (and there are a lot of problems) all underneath the banner of glory and fame.

It's smart, Pokémon trainers travel a lot and they do have the Pokémon to combat any trouble they come across on their way and with their hero complex and lust for challenges they are bound to solve problems along the way to fame and glory (the league really pushes the fame and glory part) and registered problems even have bounties on them, their amount based on the threat level they propose.

Do I mind this? Not really, if a problem gets too big and the reward is not worth it I just leave it to a more competent trainer.

It atleast made more sense, considering this world really has some problems with Legendaries causing trouble.

"Are you done yet?" I asked Ralts and she nodded.

"Finally," I muttered, "can't wait till we get to Jubilife City. I'm buying you a DS or something."

"Ralts." Ralts clapped her hands together, excited for the DS although I never told her what it was.

Does the DS even exist?

I turned off the Radio and switched to the map of Sinnoh, zoomed in on our current location.

"Tomorrow," I said out loud, "Tomorrow we should arrive in Jubilife City."

Ralts didn't have a response for that.

"Welp, you feel like doing a training montage?" I asked her.

She hopped off my shoulders and landed in front of me, somehow doing a flip in the process.

I raised an eyebrow, "A flip?"

She pumped her fist a few times and shot me a grin. Guess, someone was ready for training.

I was standing in the middle of a big forest that was divided into two parts by the sandy road that went through it towards Jubilife City.

The clouds were blocking the sun but there was no wind and for the love of the gods there was no rain.

Rain really sucks when traveling, Ralts and I had been stuck at the Pokémon Center for an entire day after our battle against Paul because of some water falling from the sky.

Luckily there was a guy who had a shitload of comics and I bought a few from him so Ralts and I wouldn't die from boredom.

We found a small clearing after a bush and I decided this place would do.

It was not much, just a patch of grass surrounded by trees on all sides.

Ralts patiently took place in the middle of the clearing and patiently waited for today's lesson.

I knelt down and took out a couple of empty food cans I had left from the past days of traveling. Patiently I stacked them on top of eachother until they formed a small pyramid.

A nearby Starly descended from the sky and took a seat on one of the tree branches and began watching us, clearly interested in what was happening.

"Okay," I took a step back, "Today's lesson is aiming."

Ralts gave me a questioning look.

"You see the empty can atop of the pyramid?" I pointed and Ralts nodded.

"Knock it off without toppling the other cans."

She took a step forward but I blocked her with my arm, damn forgot to be specific.

"With Confusion and Disarming Voice." I added.

"RaaaraRalts!" she complained but when she noticed I didn't understand a single bit of what she just said she moved her hands in front of her body and moved them away from each other.

"You say that your attacks are too big?" I guessed and she nodded.

I smiled. "That's the point of this training, I want you to hit it with the low part of your attacks, aim a Confusion or Disarming Voice above the pyramid so it will only tople the top on. Then the next one, until your aim improves and you can hit a certain part without hitting the other cans."

"Ralts?" She scratched her head.

"It's simple," I said, "I want you to be able to hit someone's left side or right side. Mess up their directions instead of just sending them backwards."

"Raaaaallttsss." she said enlightened and I translated it to an: "aaaaahhh, I get it".

She gave me a determined nod and smile before turning to the pyramid of empty food cans.

"Now go train Padawn." I joked and left her to her training.

I found a perfect tree to lean against that provided me shade and a good look at Ralts' training without being too close.

I pulled out my Pokédex and earphones, little did she know it was nothing more than a ploy to claim the Pokédex for myself.

Though I did intend for Ralts to train her aim, just not this moment.

The plug of the earphone into the Pokédex and flipped it open.

"Oracle, switch to Sinnoh Daily."

" _Just add water to the flour and mix it for-"_

I rolled my eyes, who the hell would listen to a baking program on a radio? Like, do they write everything down for later or are the people who listen to this kind of stuff just that bored?

"Switch to Trainer Station." I said.

I listened for a good while and it was pretty entertaining, though nothing new. A Minor theft in Floaroma Town, but that was pretty boring since I joined midway and missed all the juicy details.

The second piece was about a man who had a Meowth with the move Pay Day was arrested by the International Police for _using Pokémon abilities to manipulate the economy in an illegal way_.

It made me raise an eyebrow, why would anyone use Pay Day with Meowth?

In this world, it was common knowledge that Regions all over the world had Pokémon who could detect such interferences.

Guess the guy didn't believe that rumor and got the short end of the stick.

The third piece of the broadcast was more interesting, though not new to me.

" _And Pokémon Hunter J has been spotted near Snowpoint City. The local Gymleader managed to chase her away with the help of a couple of brave trainers but it seems that she still managed to raid a Pokémon Center during her brief stay. She managed to steal a couple of rare Pokémon before people came to stop her…"_

This made me reconsider why I called this world easy. Hunter J was really a bitch in this universe, stealing rare Pokémon to sell them to her clients.

Three regions were after her but because her fleet could turn invisible along with the overwhelming firepower they only managed to drive her off every time they encountered her.

After that, they had a lengthy discussion about the consequences of the raid.

That went on for 3 minutes before they switched to a different topic.

Apparently there was a girl in Shorelight who claimed to see the future and saw the sun coming down from the heavens and scorching the earth.

I thought she might be for real and had some precognitive skill, that was after all not impossible in this world, but when I heard another claim of hers was that the world would be saved by a talking Magikarp I started to doubt it.

Nothing else noteworthy came up after that which meant it was a very peaceful week for Sinnoh.

I switched to a few radio stations from Johto to see what was going on over there.

" _And a Ninetales in Ilex Forest has killed its trainer, according to witnesses his throat was bit open before the Ninetales fled the scene."_ A male voice droned, apparently not really liking his day so far.

Or was it in the middle of the night over there?

" _I know,"_ A female voice said, sounding fake as shit. " _Such a tragedy."_

" _According to the witnesses this Nintetales has the ability to speak and Pokémon trainers and travelers who pass through Ilex Forest are advised to stay away from any Ninetales they spot in the wild just to be safe."_ The male voice droned on.

I raised an eyebrow, sometimes I wonder why people even become Pokémon trainers.

Of course that would be very hypocritical for me to say, also; a shit load of PR and money can make people do almost anything.

" _Next topic,"_ The woman said, sounding annoyingly cheerful, " _You won't believe what this woman did with her Magikarp!"_

I closed the Pokédex.

Maybe I should look at how Ralts was doing.

* * *

**A/N** **for today a chapter with nothing much going on, just some worldbuilding.**

**Well, cya later!**

**-CaptainMoonShine-**


	24. Unwanted Arrival

**Chapter 24:**

**Unwanted Arrival**

* * *

Nature was alive in the world of Pokémon, if it wasn't for the countless bug Pokémon then the grass Pokémon would be the alive part.

As the anime depicted nature, it was one big organism that worked through collaborations between species and the forest they lived in.

And in the same way nature was alive in the world of Pokémon, Jubilife City was as well but in a different way.

The city was a giant machine with every person, car and Pokémon being a small cog.

And the machine was in motion; Pokémon doing work, cars driving through, people heading towards their jobs, trains and busses. All adding to the big picture of a city that was alive and blooming.

Large skyscrapers reflected the morning sun, at some parts they blocked the light while they allowed the light to slip through at other places.

Wide avenues divided the large city into smaller parts, those parts were again divided by smaller ones and back alleys.

However, despite what the first glance might suggest, the city had enough space left for parks and wild spaces, a chance to walk among nature.

On the Northern skyline I could see a large building that had to be the Global Trade Station and on the Eastern skyline I could see Mt. Coronet underneath the sun.

To the West, the city continued to expand, though the skyscrapers were slowly being replaced by large warehouses and shipyards that were built alongside the river that ran through Jubilife City.

However, immediately after crossing the water and the small havenport the city and skyscrapers started to pop up began, forming one big metropolis that reminded me of cities like New York City and Tokyo.

"Jubilife City, AKA the city of joy." I said, still trying to catch my breath.

The view from up the Jubilife Observatory was amazing but the staircase to the top was not.

I had considered taking the elevator (or is it a lift here?) but I wanted to be a better human in this life and decided a little exercise wouldn't be that bad.

Now, I was regretting that choice.

"Raltssss." Ralts dropped next to me to the concrete floor, sprawled out and ready to die.

"You wanted to walk," I laughed at her.

She stuck her tongue out at me.

The Jubilife Observator was pretty empty this morning, only an elderly couple was present and they were minding their own business.

"Want to see it too?" I asked Ralts and without waiting for an answer I lifted her up to my middle so she could peer over the small stone wall that surrounded the rooftop so stupid people wouldn't fall of the building.

Ralts' eyes widened as she saw the city in its entire glory.

We had walked through it this morning when we had arrived and she was already impressed by the sight of that many humans and glass buildings that reached the sky.

I promised her a better view of the city and with the assistance of Pokédex Lady we found a high skyscraper that functioned as a city hall and observatory for visitors.

My Pokémon stared with awe, her eyes practically sparkling.

I grinned too; it truly was a sight to behold.

The city was so much larger than the anime and games portrayed it to be.

Another interesting thing was the large river that split the city in two, though there were multiple bridges to help people and trains cross from one side to the other.

It made sense, almost every big city in my world had some river flow through it since a river meant transportation and business

"One day, Ralts," I said while she was still watching the skyline, "This entire city will know our names. Everyone in the world will know."

Ralts nodded eagerly, a smile plastered on her face.

"Everyone in the entire world will know about Dust, his unbeatable Ralts and her teammates."

Ralts turned around and gave me a funny look I translated to: "Seriously?"

I shrugged. "You do realize I kinda need more than one Pokémon?"

"Ralts." she sighed.

I gave her a big hug. "Don't worry, I won't leave you or something stupid. You're my main after all."

"Though talking about future teammates, I still need to get some Pokéballs." I paused, "And I need to deliver the black box with data."

I closed my eyes and visualized the games and anime, in the anime nothing important was going on in this city; or important for me.

Dawn and Jessie would enter the Jubilife City Contest and met Zoey, but that was about everything, oh and there was the B-button league or something but they were really not in my list of priorities

In the games, you had to find three clowns to receive a free Pokétch, there was a trainer's school that gave you a potion upon completion and you find your rival inside. You meet Looker once you enter the city, but I already met him so I doubt that will happen.

There were some other minor things you could do in the city, though I doubted that talking to people would give me free stuff.

Well, the first thing to do today was getting a few Pokéballs.

"Oracle, how close is the nearest Pokémon Mart?" I asked while flipping the Pokédex open.

The map showed 16 blue dots that marked the locations of different Pokémon Marts in Jubilife City.

I whistled, 16 Poké Marts, that's a lot.

Well, considering the size of the city it made some sense I guess but still, that's a shitload of Poké Marts.

Welp, time to get some balls, pun intended.

Ralts pointed at the elevator and I agreed, I wasn't about to make that mistake twice.

As we walked through the streets of Jubilife City I saw so much interesting stuff going on.

Big billboards were advertising an upcoming battle between Cynthia, the current Champion VS a guy I had never heard of.

According to the amount of advertisements and flashy trailers it was really hype but honestly I couldn't care less because I was convinced Cynthia would win anyway, though they managed to attract Ralts' attention.

I passed a small shop that sold Cynthia Merchandise and couldn't resist buying one thing. I ended up with a black mug that had an image of Cynthia striking a pose in front of her Garchomp printed onto it.

Did I have a reason for buying it? Not really but I kinda wanted it anyway and I had money to spare so I bought it for the sake of it.

We walked past a food stall that was making waffles and I bought one for the two of us deciding it was a solid breakfast replacement.

While we were standing there, eating our waffles a small girl asked if she could pat Ralts.

Her mom gave us an apologetic smile but Ralts was okay with it so I let the girl have her moment.

After a minute of the girl hugging and patting Ralts the mother gave me a thank you and pulled her daughter away.

The girl proudly exclaimed she would catch a Ralts too once she became a Pokémon trainer.

It seemed kinda weird to me, was I supposed to be happy that she would enslave a wild Ralts?

After that weird conversation we went on our way to find the PokéMart.

I was curious how it would look but when we found it I wasn't really surprised.

It was placed in the middle of a shopping area and had a big blue roof with the Pokéball symbol on it, underneath was written: _Pokémon Mart_

The storefront was filled with all kinds of posters, announcing discounts on certain items, a battle between Cynthia and some random dude, a new tv show and one that encouraged people to become Pokémon trainers.

I entered the store and discovered it was a very roomy building from the inside.

A large blue counter with a man standing behind it filled the left part while the walls were filled with shelves that colorfully displayed the items that could be bought with special baskets for discount items.

Large blue couches were placed in the middle of the room, backs to each other so they were forming a square together.

Computers were mounted into one wall and one guy with ravenblack hair was swiping away at the screen, he wore a black belt with 3 Pokéballs attached to it so I assumed he was a Pokémon trainer as well.

It was a very big but neat place that perfectly combined professionalism with style and comfort.

I walked over to the shelf that held shining Pokéballs on display and stopped in front of it to study them. Ralts was a bit slower, taking the time to give everything a good look.

Next to me stood a young girl with green braided hair, she held a potion in her hand and she was having a discussion with another boy around her age.

The boy had green hair too, too short and curly. He seemed rather annoyed by whatever the girl was talking about.

A woman with blond hair stood in front of the Pokédex with her back to me, in her left hand she held a Pokédex in her left hand.

Giving it a quick look it seemed her Pokédex was malfunctioning and she needed help with it.

I picked up a Pokéball and weighted it in my hand, giving it a studying look.

Honestly I was just trying to look like I knew what I was doing but honestly this Pokéball looked the same like every other Pokéballs.

Next to the shelf was a poster plastered on the wall detailing the instructions for catching Pokémon and all that other shiz.

"Ralts, what do you think of this one?" I asked as I knelt down to show Ralts the Pokéball I just picked up, "Don't you think this one is perfect?"

Ralts shrugged.

Just as I was about to get more Pokéballs, I heard a loud bang, like an explosion going off and I spun around, ready to fight or run.

It was disorienting, suddenly hearing a loud bang and I wasn't the only one shaken up.

Everyone in the PokéMart turned around.

In the middle of the store black smoke began appearing. A small layer of thick black smoke began to cover the entire couch and a flash followed.

A second later stood a person covered in body armor on top of the blue couch with a Butterfree flying behind him.

The person was standing with his legs wide and arms crossed, sending a clear message of confidence and arrogance.

He had red hair that was a bit shorter than mine, his face mostly obscured by a domino mask that had the shape of a Butterfree but all the white parts had been painted red.

A big smirk on his face that was a mix of arrogance and sadism.

He wore body armor, much like the stuff you see special forces wear except he only had the shoulderpads and body vest to protect him. Underneath it he wore a black shirt with long sleeves, his hands were covered by white gloves.

He wore gray pants with padded kneecaps and combat boots underneath it.

Most notorious was the red cape he wore on his back which was connected to his shoulderpads, it looked more like a Roman cape than a super hero cape.

It wasn't overly long but still big enough to be impressive and eye catching.

Behind him flew a Butterfree who glared at everyone in the room before flying towards the door and blocking it with its wings.

"Welcome people of Jubilife City,' the man spoke with an amused tone, "Today you all have the honor of being robbed by the number one criminal in Sinnoh."

He chuckled and I could only just stare.

Ralts grabbed my leg tight but didn't move her gaze away from the intruder.

He jumped off the couch and shot the two kids who stood near me with a grin. "So be grateful,"

The man walked towards the two kids who quivered in fear, yet they didn't dare to move from their spot.

He gave them a mock bow, "It isn't everyday you get robbed by Crimson after-"

He froze mid sentence and without a warning spun around, his arms outstretched and in both his hands he held something shiny.

Two bangs followed and I involuntarily closed my eyes in reflex, when I opened the I saw what he had in his hands.

In his left hand he had a golden gun while in his right hand he held a shining silver gun. Both had a small smoke trail coming out of the barrel.

On the opposite side a Pokéball and a Pokédex clattered to the ground.

The man who had been swiping at the pc stared wide eyed at his empty hand where he had held his Pokéball a mere second ago.

On the other side of the room the woman squeaked as her Pokédex she was holding also fell to the floor.

My eyes widened as I realized what just went down.

Ralts gripped me leg tighter.

"Now," Crimson said with a disappointed tone, he lowered his two guns. "There's no need to be rude."

His gaze passed over everyone in the room, making sure to meet everyone's eyes at least once.

When he was done with it he had, once again, a wide grin on his face. "Now there's no need to play hero." He aimed one gun at the man who tried to release his Pokémon.

"Or to start calling people." He aimed his second gun at the woman.

"If we all just act like the scared people we are, everything will be fine."

He laughed out loud, then without a warning he aimed both guns at the green haired girl.

"Otherwise we all will discover what colors her insides have."

Crimson chuckled. "Spoilers, it's crimson red."

* * *

**Leave comments if you feel like it.**

**Cya all later!**

**-CaptainMoonShine-**


	25. Crimson Crime

**Chapter 25:**

**Crimson Crime**

* * *

Crimson loved hearing himself talk, if that wasn't a dead give away then his attire and overly cheerful tone would reveal that he had a very big ego.

"Now, we all love the youth," Crimson smiled as he lowered his guns but he kept his fingers on the trigger. It was subtle but the message was clear.

I can shoot faster than any of you can act.

He wasn't wrong, I just saw him shoot a Pokédex and Pokéball at the same time without even needing to take aim.

His Butterfree was blocking the door with its wings and I had no interest in trying to escape right now.

If I wanted to escape I had to outsmart both Crimson and find a way to deal with his two guns and I had to get rid of Butterfree in quick succession.

My pocket knife burned in my pocket but I knew that drawing it would result in bloodshed.

Ralts was a decent fighter but most of her attacks were useless in such a small area and I doubted she could be faster than a bullet.

Why the hell does Crimson show up the first time I enter a Poké Mart? That's just fate telling me I should fuck off.

Crimson jumped on top of the counter, his cape wavering and aimed his golden gun at the man who worked here.

"Now, I want all your TMs," Crimson said, he paused and then added. "Please."

The poor guy gave him a shaky nod and knelt behind the counter.

The man was balding and he had to be in his forties, at least. He wore a blue shirt that had the Pokémart logo but the shirt was a bit too small.

He was a bit on the heavy side and right now his entire forehead was glistening with sweat.

Still sweating like crazy, he opened a drawer and pulled out 10 golden discs around the size of an apple. They were packaged into a plastic case that made it look like they were music discs instead.

Crimson grimaced, "Only 10? Please tell me you have a few good ones."

The man nodded carefully and answered with a high pitched voice. "1 is a Seismic Toss and I have a Rock Tomb."

Crimson sighed and lowered his gun. "Yeah, whatever. Please put it all in a plastic bag for me."

He hopped off the counter and his army boots made a heavy thud as he landed.

While the counter guy was putting all the TMs in the plastic bag, almost dropping one to the floor, Crimson walked over to the magazine stand and paused in front of it, he put a gun away, in what I now saw was a belt.

His left gun slid into an empty sheath that was previously hidden by his red cape and he placed his left hand on his chin and gave the magazines a thoughtful look.

He stood with his back towards everyone in the room, completely open to any attack.

Except he had a small smirk on his face, still visible despite the Butterfree shaped mask he wore.

It was a challenge or a display of power.

He knew it, we knew it.

If we tried anything he could still shoot us, even with his back to us he held all the cards.

I knelt down and picked up Ralts, both to prevent her from doing stupid and to protect her...okay I could probably do nothing to protect her but its the sentiment that counts right?

But there was also a second reason, or third, whatever works out.

"Remember Alex please," I whispered and I waited.

Ralts knew that Alex was the codeword for trouble but was she smart enough to decipher what I meant by remembering what I meant by Alex?

It was something we had never discussed before so it was pretty much guesswork for her.

Ralts narrowed her eyes on Crimson and nodded.

As she did it I hid a smile, that sneaky trickster of mine had understood it.

Now, I had an ace against Crimson.

Crimson impassively grabbed a magazine and flipped through the pages.

Apparently, he liked it because he took more magazines and walked back to the counter where the sweaty guy had packed everything in a white plastic bag.

The sweaty guy handed him the bag and Crimson took it in his free hand. "You happen to have Pokémon Daily?" He asked with a kind voice, though it had an edge to it.

He shook his head, "N-no sir. It's no-ot out yet."

Crimson's shoulders slumped and he raised his right hand, a silver barrel was held against the man's forehead.

"Too bad." Crimson hissed. "Now apologize."

"I'm s-"

Without a warning, Crimson hit him with the grip of his gun in the head.

The sweaty guy fell to the ground and the woman screamed.

She had short blond hair and I estimated her to be around 40, yet she squealed like she was a girl.

Crimson aimed his gun at the woman, "Please be quiet."

Screaming woman covered her mouth with her hand and began shaking slightly but she managed to stay quiet, mostly.

Crimson grinned and he swept a red hair lock out of his face. "Now that's what you get for such a horrible service."

"Don't think you'll get away with this." The man who tried to release his Pokémon exclaimed.

He had a croaky voice like he had been awake for an entire week.

My guess was that he was a Pokémon trainer as well, I estimated him around 30 but he could've been older.

He looked fairly athletic and I could see some muscles on his arm.

Not that Crimson was intimidated.

"Of course I'll get away with it." Crimson exclaimed, "Everyone always says those cliché things when I enter but I won't be caught and I WILL get away with it, right Scarlet?"

"Free!" The white Butterfree chirped and I couldn't resist the urge to frown.

His Butterfree was named Scarlet? Like Scarlet red?

I smell an ongoing theme here.

"Now!" Crimson exclaimed like he was announcing his next act. "Time for community service, now who here is carrying around some cash?"

He gave everyone a look but no one reacted.

I had no cash, all my money was on my bank account which could be accessed with my Trainer ID or Pokédex. I considered getting cash but I'm really lazy and buying a wallet and visiting a bank had been too much of an effort.

Crimson sighed and strode towards the boy with green hair.

I noticed that both the girl and the boy had green hair and green eyes as well. They were probably siblings, they had to be.

The boy wore a black shirt with a Charmander on it, he didn't have a Pokéball belt but that didn't exclude the possibility he had his Pokéballs somewhere else.

The boy stepped back but Crimson simply put his silver gun against his head.

"Don't tell me that no one here has some cash available?" He exclaimed, the boy let out a cry and held his (what I assumed to be) sister's hand, probably crushing all her bones in the process.

"Do I really have to blow this kid's brains out?"

"I do!" A screaming woman offered hastily and opened her purse to grab her wallet.

Crimson instead just stepped towards her and took the entire purse.

"Finally some honor among thieves." Crimson sighed, he took the purse but put it down a second later, realizing he couldn't hold two bags without putting away both guns.

Okay, he could've put one bag into the other one but I doubted he really cared about the purse anyway.

He had robbed banks all over Sinnoh; there was no way he actually needed the money. My guess was that he just loved bullying people and showing them how inferior they are.

He literally ignored all the money the Poké Mart has inside the cash register.

Still struggling with having too much stuff to carry, his eyes scanned the room and landed on me.

Fuck.

"Hey blue, care to lend me your backpack," He pointed his gun at the green haired girl. "Please?"

"Ralts!" Ralts said furiously but I told her to stay still and took off my backpack.

As I handed him my backpacl he gave me the sweetest smile. "Thanks a lot."

I was quickly going over everything I had put inside...and fuck I had a lot of shit inside.

Everything except I had on me was in that backpack.

Among all the expensive shit it also contained the black data box Professor Rowan had given me.

Now personally I didn't really care that much about the data but I hated the idea of failing such a simple task.

Crimson opened the backpack and dumped both the plastic bag and the woman's purse inside.

As he got up he smiled at me again, "Don't worry about your stuff. I'll take good care of it."

He was fucking with me, I'm sure of it.

I took a step back towards Ralts, making sure not to keep my eyes on Crimson.

"Now," Crimson looked at his right wrist, "Seems like we're running out of time."

"Free!" The Butterfree flew over towards her trainer.

"It was a true honor to rob you all." He grinned and he gave us all a deep bow.

And just like that, he disappeared in a flash.

For a second no one moved.

It was like a movie that suddenly cuts to black but doesn't move to the next scene.

However, I was on a tight schedule, thus I picked up Ralts.

She yelped as I picked her up but calmed down once she realized that it was just me, I put her on my shoulders.

I strode towards the door but the man with the croaky voice called out to me. "Where do you think you're going? We should wait for the police."

He blocked the way with his body.

I rolled my eyes, does everyone have to annoy me today?

"I'm getting my stuff back. Now can you let me go?"

"You think you can get your stuff back that easily?" he asked, skeptically. "You a kid?"

Technically an adult but meh.

"Yes." I pointed above me, "We're gonna find him and I'm gonna get my shit back."

"Ralts." Ralts agreed.

"You really think you can get him?" The green haired girl asked, she sounded like she was on the edge of breaking down and needed a yes.

I think that being taken hostage might be traumatic for a child. Oh, Crimson is gonna pay for this.

"Of course," I shot her my biggest grin.

What do they say again? Fake it till you make it?

"I will make sure he'll pay, believe it."

With those confident words, I walked past the guy who was blocking the door and stepped outside, leaving behind a room full of scared people and one unconscious guy...assuming he's not dead.

Outside life had gone on like nothing had happened, people were walking around and shops were doing business.

I think that the entire robbery took around 5 minutes.

Weird, it felt like it lasted at least an hour.

Ralts and I walked over to a quiet park without annoying bystanders who could interfere with me and drag me into another side quest I literally had not the time for.

We found a small park that was placed between a couple of skyscrapers, it was not a lot.

Just a green hill with some trees planted on top of it and a couple of wooden benches around the tree.

I sat down on the bench and Ralts hopped off my shoulders and landed next to me.

Glancing around I only saw a couple of children playing with a Poochyena.

"Okay, Ralts you still remember Crimson's emotional signature right?"

Ralts gave me a firm nod and narrowed her eyes.

"He's not in range right now?"

She shook her head. I hadn't expected him to be nearby but I still had to try.

Okay fine, now my next quest.

Get my shit back from Sinnoh's most famous bank robber.

Something the police failed to do for several years.

I had heard a lot about Crimson on the radio.

His strategy of teleporting in and out made him really famous as a bank robber.

Then he switched to robbing Pokémon Marts for TMs, a choice people were still speculating about.

The police had managed to find his base multiple times but he managed to teleport away every time before they showed up.

He had been robbing Poké Marts for some time and he had developed a pattern the media that picked up on.

Either he would rob one in a small town or he would rob multiple Poké Marts in a bigger city.

He favored bigger cities, my guess was that it got him more media coverage and he really loves attention.

Anyway, everytime he targeted a big city he would go on a robbing spree, robbing multiple Poké Marts in the city in quick succession.

Mostly it lasted a week which made it a cat and mouse game everytime Crimson targeted a big city.

Though he did it not often, he robbed like 5 to 10 Poké Marts and then would keep quiet for a few months before starting it all over.

Being a teleporting thief it made catching him in the act really hard, considering he could retreat without recursion and attack whenever he wanted.

Thanks to listening to hours of talk shows covering Sinnoh's most famous bank robber I might be able to take him down.

See, my hypothesis was that everytime Crimson targeted a big city he set up a temporary base somewhere.

He had to, right? Teleporting across the land multiple times a week had to be draining Butterfree, might as well stay in the city until you got everything you wanted.

It was a gamble but it was all I had.

I looked at Ralts, my precious radar.

If Crimson had a base I would find it, or better; Ralts would.

Emotion sense was a powerful tool for locating someone and I had been training her for this from day one.

However right now she wasn't picking up a signal which meant Crimson wasn't in her range.

We had to move.

"Ralts?" Ralts asked and I smiled at her.

"Don't worry, we'll show him why he shouldn't mess with us. He's a petty, narcissistic, thief. Not Dialga or Mewtwo."

Ralts shrugged and I took it as a cue to start working.

I took out my Pokédex and flipped it open.

"Oracle, show me a map of Jubilife City."

On the small screen the map of Jubilife City appeared.

"Show me a map detailing all the bus routes and bus stops in Jubilife City." I corrected myself.

Colorful lines were drawn on the map, spreading from the middle of the city like it was the heart and all the other lines were the nerve system.

After tapping a few buttons a grid system overlay appeared on top of the map and divided the entire city in squares.

I changed the ratio to what I assumed to be the range of Ralts' emotion sense...humm, I should find a better name for that.

Ralts leaned over the screen to see what I was doing.

"Oracle, plan out a route to systematically pass through every square on the grid as fast as possible. Don't worry about money."

"Calculating." Pokédex Lady's mechanical voice replied and I smiled, a genuine smile this time.

"Ralts, we're gonna take a ride."

* * *

**A/N Just a quick mention. Crimson is not the number one criminal in Sinnoh, nor is he the most dangerous.**

**He's just really famous because of his dramatics.**

**Some people told me they prefer longer chapters but I decided against it. For once, I prefer faster updating over longer chapters.**

**Second, whenever I try to write a longer chapter I get the feeling the pace and tone of the story is all over the place.**

**So yeah, anyway.**

**Thank you for 600 followers! That is so awesome!**

**Keep reviewing and shiz!**

**Welp, Cya all later!**

**-CaptainMoonShine-**


	26. Trail

**Chapter: 26**

**Trail**

* * *

It took us 3 entire days to find Crimson's hideout.

I honestly expected it to go faster, we had traveled around 50% of the city on the first day and found his signal within Ralt's range.

But he wasn't in his base.

Instead he was robbing a second Poké Mart which made me realize a downside to my plan to locate Crimson's hideout.

We could only find his hideout if he was inside it, otherwise we would just run into his current location.

After that I shifted to only tracking him while the sun was down.

His tendency to only rob in broad daylight led me to that decision, otherwise we would just wind up finding him robbing another bank or something.

Small problem, the buses don't drive all night, they only drive till midnight which made it very hard to cover enough distance to find him, also Ralts would get tired as the day lasted longer and I didn't want to pull her through too much stress.

The first day he robbed 5 Poké Marts which was troublesome, I had to find him before his robbing spree ended.

Luckily I found it on my fourth night in Jubilife City.

It was located near the river that slithered through the city. He occupied an empty warehouse that looked like all the other ones.

It was an abandoned part of the small haven Jubilife City supported.

According to Pokédex Lady it was abandoned due to a ghost Pokémon causing some deaths some time ago and it made people apparently wary of the place even though the Pokémon was dealt with.

The warehouse was located on the westside of the river and surrounded by a large industrial yard with metal scrap piles everywhere.

Gravity decorated the brick walls of the warehouse making it look even more broken than it actually was.

It was relatively small and had a heavy door which had a broken iron chain that probably once kept it locked but was now it was just lying on the pavement.

There was one big window on the front side that had a large crack in it.

It was kinda ironic that I could probably walk in, considering Crimson was a thief himself.

Maybe he just didn't expect anyone ever to find him or maybe the fact that he was a teleporter made him less reasonable to common things like locking doors and shit.

Ralts and I actually hadn't seen him enter the building.

No Ralts would suddenly sense two beings inside and they would hang around inside for some time and sometimes they just left which meant they were off to rob another place.

From hanging around the place all day and night, Ralts and I learned that Crimson never put Butterfree in her Pokéball, instead she apparently slept outside her ball.

I had managed to get a vague sense of where Crimson slept and where Butterfree slept, though I had no idea what the interior of the building looked like.

I considered sneaking in the moment Crimson left to rob a place but if he came back too soon I would be done for.

Maybe I could make a gamble and sneak inside just to get my stuff but...I kinda wanted fucker behind bars and face justice.

I had spent 3 entire days and evening searching for him and to let him run free as if nothing had happened?

It felt wrong.

Calling the police and giving them the location of Crimson's hideout was the easiest option. I only had one Pokémon and Crimson was a known Criminal who has way more experience in this world than I have.

The problem was that I wasn't sure the police could actually arrest Crimson.

According to the news Crimson's base had been found multiple times but he managed to escape every time before the police could get to him.

This could mean three things;

Possibility 1 was that Crimson was a really lucky guy, considering this was the world of Gods who broke physics, it was a possibility, though I doubted it.

Second possibility was that this world's police force was incompetent.

The game and anime police were pretty useless when it really mattered. It was possible but I couldn't really imagine a society like this function properly with a police force as useless as the ones in the game and anime.

The third option was the most undesirable one, though the most realistic one as well.

Perhaps the police were corrupt to some extent.

It was possible one of the cops gave Crimson a warning every time they made a move and thus allowing Crimson to escape every time.

I had no idea how good this world police force was, for all I know Sinnoh has some Gotham levels of corruption going on in the shadows.

Considering how Giovanni was both a Gymleader and the leader of Team Rocket, it was certainly a possibility.

This left me with a choice.

I could go to the police and let them deal with it or do it myself, Batman style.

I decided to let Fate decide to choose for me.

Was it lazy to decide with a coin flip? Yeah but honestly I couldn't choose.

Theoretically I could buy everything again, tell Professor Rowan I lost his data and let the police deal with this shit.

Or I could do it myself and take the first step on my road to become the world's best champion and shiz.

I flipped the coin.

The wind of course blew it away but ralts jumped up and caught it before it could fall into the river.

She opened her hand and…

"Ralts," I said, "Tomorrow night we're gonna do what the police couldn't"

* * *

The moon shone through the small window and casted the entire warehouse in a soft blue light.

Everyone was asleep, everyone except for me and Ralts.

Ralts had done a double check before entering the warehouse and our targets were still asleep.

Crimson was a heavy sleeper.

I had set off a small firecracker outside the warehouse last night to see if he would wake up, surprisingly he didn't.

Maybe it was due to the location of the warehouse.

We were in a big city after all, and Jubilife City never truly gets quiet, not even during the night.

Ships passed through the river and even after nightfall traffic continued as usual.

I could make some noise but still, I felt nervous as heck.

Ralts and I had prepared for this the entire day, we made plans and backup plans.

Ralts herself was maybe even more determined than I was, she held a grudge against Crimson that I only discovered on our second day of searching and jokingly offered to just give up on searching.

We were both ready, plans and backup plans prepared us as much as we could be.

Now it was the time to act.

I was summoned to this world, time to see how much I could do with the life I've been given.

The heavy door opened without a sound, the oil we had preemptively put on the metal joints to made it as quiet as possible.

It was laughable, how the door was not even locked but I wasn't about to complain.

Hopefully it meant Fate was watching over me instead of trying to screw me over.

Anyway, I wasn't about to rely on fate alone. Instead I decided to prepare myself as good as possible, I was carrying around a (cheap) backpack on my shoulder with stuff I might need.

I couldn't buy any real weapons any but I did manage to get an actual combat knife and a pepper spray. Ironically enough both were from the camping store which was a rather questionable choice.

Ralts might not need any weapons but I did.

Although, I had no idea how Ralts would take a bullet. Would it do lethal damage or would her body treat it like any other Pokémon attack?

Better to take precautions.

Although sneaking around with a backpack and a big knife made me feel like a burglar it was a sacrifice my ego was willing to take.

Also the Ralts who stood beside me right now was not the real Ralts. Nope, it was a Double Team clone, the real her was somewhere out of my sight, probably behind me in the shadows like a true assassin.

It took some time to convince her to let me go first and alone, however when I explained my reasons she agreed, albeit reluctantly.

The world of Pokémon relied on trump cards and right now I really needed one.

The insides of the warehouse confirmed any doubts I had of Crimson staying here.

The building was divided into two parts, a lower part that was mostly empty and a metal staircase that led up to a second floor.

I couldn't see the entire second floor but it really looked like it was made of those scaffoldings you saw at building sites.

The place wasn't lit by anything except the light of the moon which made some sense considering the attention a light in this "abandoned" warehouse would draw.

On the ground floor there was a large metal table that seemed to be stuck to the floor. A large pile of golden discs, purses and other random items like jewelry and phones were piled ontop of eachother at the middle of the table.

The way it was put on display reaffirmed my idea that Crimson was a narcissist.

It reminded me of how dragons in films always sleep on their treasure, it was placed the way that it catches someone's eye the from anywhere in the room.

However it wasn't nearly enough , it was a lot and probably worth a lot of money but Crimson had been robbing banks for some time.

He had to have a real base somewhere else thus this was a temporary base.

Seems like Crimson did have some brains behind his ego.

A plastic desk was placed against the wall and had a black laptop on it, attached to the wall behind it was a map of Jubilife City.

Red flags were pinned on all the Poké Marts he had already robbed which was quite a lot.

I scanned the place for Butterfree and found her sleeping in the left corner of the room.

Crimson had made a special spot for her, a large pile of pillows was stacked on top of eachother and a big butterfly was sleeping on top of it.

She was lying on her back, her wings open, and hugging a pillow which was oddly cute.

Still, I wasn't about to back down.

If I wanted to succeed I had to get rid of her as silently as possible, if I didn't get rid of Butterfree first then Crimson could escape the moment I had him in a tight spot.

If this was the Pokémon game I would probably fight it and have Ralts deal with it but the problem was that I had to keep it quiet because big red was sleeping above me and had two guns that could end my life with ease.

I pointed at the Butterfree and the clone Ralts nodded.

From somewhere else in the room a slow purple ray formed and began to crawl towards Butterfree at a slow pace.

A second later more rays were placed into the already fired ray, making it look like a real world glitch.

If Ralts pulled through then the total of those rays should be around 24.

They moved slow enough that Ralts could place more along the way, of course they lacked in power but I hoped that the total amount would be good enough to KO Butterfree instantly.

I had considered multiple ways of doing this, from suffocating Butterfree myself to letting Ralts try to Mega Punch a sleeping Butterfree, the problem was that a Mega Punch's knockback made a lot of sound.

Also, I didn't feel comfortable trying to suffocate a Butterfree.

Confusion was a silent move which made some sense.

It was of course only energy, pure energy that only emitted the slightest amount of energy.

It had no physical effect after all, thus it was the perfect move for a sneak attack.

And I was right. They quietly traveled across the room and after a painful few seconds they arrived.

If they didn't knock her out instantly I would fall back on the goold old, run and retreat method.

Butterfree didn't make a sound as the beams hit her.

And she didn't move.

I gave Ralts a thumb up.

Part 1, removing Butterfree from the scene, was completed.

* * *

**A /N** **I hope you all liked this chapter and leave your thoughts if you can, if not, well you're missing out because we're running out of reviews pretty soon and if you're not quick they'll all be gone.**

**We are also low on Bookmarks and Kudos so be sure to get yours before they are all gone.**

**Cya all later!**

**-CaptainMoonShine-**


	27. Strike

**World of Pokémon 27:**

**Strike**

* * *

I silently wrapped the blindfold over Butterfree's eyes and placed the noise canceling headphones over where I assumed her ears would be.

The Double Team Ralts impassively waited as I tied the wings together with a piece of rope I brought along. I made sure that the rope wasn't actually cutting into the wings while she was incapacitating.

I didn't want to accidentally tear her fragile looking wings apart, that's why I didn't use duct tape like I initially planned.

The problem with Butterfree was that she was a teleporting Pokémon that wasn't limited by line of sight.

The blindfold was only meant to confuse her and prevent her from firing any attack with the idea that friendly fire was off.

The noise canceling headphones should prevent her from hearing Crimson's commands and hopefully also add to the confusion.

And now, Butterfree couldn't see, hear and hopefully also not fly.

I could already imagine Butterfree flying outside and some stupid side character getting rid of the blindfold for her.

When I was done with all the precautions I took a step back.

Time for part for 2, take out Crimson.

Now I was running on a tight schedule, I had no idea how long it took for Butterfree to regain consciousness, it could be 3 minutes or the entire night.

If I was correct, Crimson would be somewhere above me.

According to Ralts, he slept directly above Butterfree.

Ralts and I made our way towards the metal stairs, knife in my left hand and pepper spray in my right hand.

The metal stairs began next to the door and they went surprisingly high for a second floor. There were no handrails to support me or to prevent me from falling down which added to the image of an abandoned warehouse.

The second floor hung over the ground floor like a large balcony, supported by metal bars and wooden platforms.

I suspected it was originally meant to store containers or something.

Now it was Crimson's sleeping place.

Although it looked more like a homeless person was sleeping here instead of Sinnoh's most famous thief.

Surprisingly the second floor was better lit than the ground floor by the moonlight which allowed me to get a good look.

At the end of the platform was a mattress laid out on the floor where Crimson was sleeping right now, his figure hidden by a blanket.

Next to his bed stood a plastic camping table that functioned as a nightstand with random stuff on it, though mostly bags of chips and other trash.

A large metal shelf was placed against the wall, on it were various tools a thief might need, camping stuff and his costume.

His red cape was draped over the entire shelf the way a teenager would throw his clothes over the tv.

There was however one thing missing.

The figure underneath the blanket shot up and I ran towards him, trying to see if I could cross the distance fast enough.

Two shiny guns were pointed in my direction and without even thinking about it I pushed myself against the wall while Ralts beside me dropped to the floor.

Just in time, an almost blinding flash followed and I could almost feel the bullet fly past my head.

I heard two bangs, one from his silver gun and one from his golden gun.

The fact that Crimson slept with both his guns in bed was just utter bullshit.

I really hoped he would have them on a nightstand or in a drawer but it seems that we truly can't have nice things in life.

Another bullshit thing was that Crimson, the guy who slept through a firecracker in front of his house, for some reason woke up and noticed something was wrong.

Did he have a psychic friendship based connection with his Butterfree? Did I make too much sound or did he have some criminal instincts that warned him?

Okay, so I was spotted, time for plan B.

I leaped towards Crimson before he could fully comprehend what was going on and to see if he missed.

Before he could fire a second shot I was already in his face, my knife was pressing against his throat.

At the same time a silver gun was pushing against my temple and a second gun was aimed at Ralts who stood to my left.

Crimson and I both grimaced at the same time once we realized the stalemate we were in.

I could slice his throat and he could shoot with both his guns.

Now I could see his face, no longer obscured by his mask, I saw he was very young, around 20 or so.

His red hair was all messy and a large hairlock covered one half of his face.

Crimson had dark red almond shaped eyes that had a combination of annoyance and surprise in it.

He wore short pants and a black shirt that revealed his body wasn't as well trained as I thought.

He was taller than I was but not a lot, which was a small relief if it would come to a serious fight.

"Who the fuck are you and how did you get inside?" Crimson snarled, confused, ignoring the knife I held against his throat.

It was an uneasy stalemate but I could work with it, I hope.

"I am Justice," I lied, no point in telling him my real name right?

Crimson's eyes widened, "Wait, it's you! The blue haired kid with the Ralts."

I sighed, sometimes I wondered if I should dye my hair for real.

Crimson grinned when he saw my expression, "So it is you? Came to get your revenge?"

He sounded no longer confused, instead he sounded like his usual old self.

"You stole my stuff, now I want it back." I said, having actually no idea what to say.

Crimson laughed out loud, his throat almost scraping against my blade in the process. "You truly try to get revenge don't you! Oh, this is gold!"

"Ralts." Ralts cursed, or it sounded like a curse to me.

I narrowed my eyes, "Don't think I'll let you like this."

Crimson had an arrogant smirk on his face, "You and what army?"

He gave both his guns a quick smile, "You brought a knife to a gunfight?"

"I have a Ralts." I fired back.

Crimson rolled his eyes, "Well aren't you the smart one, RIGHT SCARLET!?"

We both waited for something to happen but Butterfree didn't appear.

Crimson's smile faltered.

"Something wrong?" I smiled.

"SCARLET!?" Crimson cried out, not taking his eyes off me.

When it became clear his Butterfree wouldn't show up he narrowed his eyes. "What did you do to her?"

"Just some kinky stuff," I answered, "Now my turn; Who is Rem?"

Crimson blinked, "Wha-"

His stance slightly faltered and I made my move.

I removed my knife from his throat to slap away the gun that was pushed against my temple while at the same time I dropped through my knees.

Crimson fired both guns.

He missed to his own surprise.

One bullet passed over my head while the other hit Ralts right in the face.

However, instead of wounding her, she disappeared.

"What!?" Crimson muttered as he witnessed the bullet pass through the illusion.

Standing to Crimson's right the real Ralts opened her mouth and screamed.

Crimson slammed against the metal railing and he let out a groan.

He got up but he had lost both his guns in the process,

The golden gun was thrown towards the stairs while the other one fell next to Crimson.

I made a dive for the golden gun and aimed it at Crimson the same time Crimson readied his gun to fire at me.

From his position he could now see his Butterfree, his eyes widened and he let out a curse.

Ralts fist glowed white and I saw she readied herself to jump, which would turn the situation into a 50/50.

Either he would try to shoot Ralts out of the air or he would try to shoot me.

To my surprise, Crimson kicked the nightstand towards Ralts.

Immediately after that, he shot at me but his aim was thrown off by a Disarming Voice Ralts used to block the white nightstand.

Crimson dashed towards me and I tried to fire but he again surprised me by grabbing his red cape that hung over the metal shelf.

He threw it towards me and blocked my sight.

I stepped back, almost tripped and took hold of the blanket that was draped over my head and threw it aside.

Crimson stood in front of me holding a Pokéball and a pair of shoes he had grabbed from the metal storage shelf.

Shit, did he have a second Pokémon or was it Butterfree's Pokéball?

We hadn't sensed anyone else inside the warehouse beside Butterfree and Crimson.

Both cases were bad, if it was Butterfree's Pokéball he could recall her and run away and wait for her to wake up.

If it was a second Pokémon he might try to start a fight, thus distracting Ralts from helping me deal with a gun maniac.

Before he could do anything Ralts approached him from behind with a Mega Punch.

Crimson's eyes surveyed the area before deciding to jump over the metal railing.

He landed on his feet and let out a groan as he dropped a good 6 meter (19.6 feet).

Crimson got up and aimed his gun at me but a purple ray shooting towards him made him move.

I tried to aim at Crimson but I knew that the chance I would actually hit him was very low. I never held a gun in my entire life and all my experience came from shooter games.

But Crimson didn't know it.

He raised both his hands, still holding his gun and Pokéball.

Without a warning, he pressed the button in the middle of the Pokéball and a red flash shot out of it.

White light, almost blinding, began to form into a Pokémon and I cursed.

A yellow Pokémon solidified in front of Crimson and I fired, trying to aim at his leg but I missed.

Instead I just hit the wall on the other side of the room.

The recoil from the gun surprised me and made me almost lose my footing.

The Pokémon that Crimson had summoned floated in front of him.

Its head looked like a kitten but it was a stretch.

"Abra," it yawned.

"We're out of here," Crimson told his Abra, "Grab Scarlet and get us out of here."

Abra turned towards Butterfree but Ralts had other plans.

She too jumped down from the second floor and launched herself towards Butterfree with a Disarming Voice aimed at the wall.

She landed in front of Butterfree and shot a Confusion at Abra.

Abra swiftly moved aside, gliding through the air, and gave Crimson a questioning look.

Crimson cursed and spit on the floor, "Leave her, get us out of here."

"Abra."

Both Abra and Crimson glowed white for a second.

Ralts fired a Disarming Voice at the two but before the sound waves reached them they disappeared.

I ran down the stairs, not feeling like jumping.

Fuck, he has a second teleporter.

My back up plan covered him releasing a second Pokémon to fight Ralts but Crimson didn't fight.

He teleported away, fucking coward.

It had to be his final trick, a second Pokémon with the move Teleport, hidden away until Crimson was cornered.

"Ralts!RaltsRaaaaRaaals!" Ralts cried out as she ran towards me.

I frowned, "What's wrong?"

Except for the fact that Crimson escaped of course, well, at least we had his Butterfree and all his loot.

She pointed at the map on the wall. Her eyes stressed and I felt she really wanted to share something.

"You can sense him?" I asked.

She nodded and pointed at the pocket where I kept my Pokédex, gesturing for me to hurry.

I took out my Pokédex and she jumped up to grab it out of my hand, she flipped it open and

scrolled through the menu with such ease I was actually surprised.

She found the map option and zoomed in on our current location.

She tapped at the screen. "Ralts!" she said determined.

"Wait, he's there?" I asked.

If that's true that meant that Crimson was only a city block away.

"Ralts!" She suddenly cried out, she tapped another button and zoomed out. She pointed at a new location.

This time it was further away from us.

"He teleported again?"

Ralts nodded.

I frowned, last time Crimson teleported he was immediately out of Ralts' range but now it looked like he was moving away from us in smaller steps.

He was still getting away from us, but now he was moving in smaller steps.

The realization took longer than I'd like to admit.

"Abra has a smaller Teleporting distance than Butterfree!" I exclaimed and Ralts nodded.

I stared at the two points on the screen, Crimson had teleported, apparently waited and then teleported again.

Abra was maybe a weaker teleporter than Butterfree, because it was less trained or maybe because Crimson kept Abra inside its Pokéball most of the time.

Maybe Abra's teleport had a cooldown time, it was possible and it could explain the spacing between the teleports.

"Ralts." Ralts told me, her eyes narrowed and her fist clenched.

"You want to go after him?" I asked and she nodded, she did have a point.

We made Crimson flee, why leave it at this?

Still, we had the small problem of Crimson still being faster than we could run, especially if he could teleport.

No matter how small the distance was he would stay ahead of us.

I studied the points on the Pokédex, it looked like Crimson was going West.

How do we catch up with Crimson?

"I think I know something." I muttered and took the Pokédex in my hand.

Ralts nodded and smiled at me.

I smiled back.

After tapping on the screen and navigating to my contact list I pressed a button.

"Let's hope she says yes." I muttered as the text on my Pokédex read:

_Calling Hylla_

* * *

**A/N I wish you all a Chrismas, if that's your thing.**

**(reviews)**

**-11stargazer11 (well, he is a human after all)**

**-ZuuKiipper (Thanks)**

**Well later!**

**-CaptainMoonShine-**


	28. Justice From Above

**Chapter 28:**

**Justice from Above**

* * *

I made myself comfy on the big pile of pillows beside the unconscious Butterfree.

Ralts was guarding the Butterfree, though it was kind of unnecessary since she was all tied up.

The screen of my Pokédex illuminated the warehouse in a soft blue glow, pretty creepy if you ask me.

It wasn't quiet however, waves crashed against the shore and cars honked in the distance.

Midnight had passed an hour ago, yet I didn't feel tired in the slightest.

Adrenaline pumped through my veins and kept me fully awake and ready to fight.

Ralts was a Pokémon so I wasn't sure if she even had anything like adrenaline, still she was pumped and ready to go.

That's why it was so anticlimactic that I actually had to wait for Hylla to pick up and it led me to doubt if she was even awake at 1 AM.

She had been asleep most of the time I was staying at her hospital but she worked for the league so I kinda thought she should've been available at all time.

Of course, that was an assumption on my part.

Luckily, I got through.

The screen changed and the Pokédex informed me I was now in a video chat with a certain purple haired sociopath.

"Oh, it's you," Hylla smiled at the camera. "Good evening Mister Mysterious. Or should I say good morning?"

Still going with that nickname?

"Sup Hylla," I said automatically, then I took a good look again, "Wait, where are you?"

Hylla wasn't in a normal room as I expected, no she was fully clothed and sitting behind a desk which wasn't out of the ordinary but the background was.

Behind her, I saw a big room with big metal cabinets and gray walls with instruction manuals written on them.

The room was illuminated by a big neon light.

In the background, I could hear people talking, though I couldn't make out any individual words.

It thought it looked like she was in some kind of laboratory or something.

Hylla grinned. "That's classified information but if you really want to know,"

She picked up, what I later learned to be, her laptop and allowed me to the room from a different angle.

I saw a group of men dressed in heavy body armor preparing for something.

They all had guns on their belt and a rifle slung over their backs.

Different kinds of Pokémon stood beside them, I saw a Machoke, multiple Staraptor and a black crow-like Pokémon that I remembered from the Galar game but couldn't recall its name and a few wolf like Pokémon.

She put the laptop back in its place and grinned. "We're near Eterna Forest. I was asked to assist with a raid and to look over all the data. It's all very classified,"

She put a finger to her mouth, "So don't tell anyone okay?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Sure. Look, I need your help but I don't have a lot of time."

She grinned, "Oh, so no time for small talk huh?"

"Can I borrow Charizard?" I asked, ignoring her playful jab. "Please right now?"

"Why?" she frowned, she tapped a few times on the keyboard. "Oh, wow. You're at Jubilife City?"

I wasn't even surprised that she knew where I was. "Mmm, why would you want my Charizard in the middle of the night?"

"Look, I really don't ha-"  
"It won't take long, I'm bored anyway." Hylla said. "You need her for something crucial, otherwise you wouldn't call in the middle of the night. You're in a dark room that clearly isn't yours."

Her eyes widened. "You found Crimson huh?"

I blinked. "Yeah…"

She tilted her head. "Well, that explains it. So he has a second teleporting Pokémon? The league already suspected such a thing. You really think you can keep up?"

I ignored the way she made skips in her deduction and filled the gaps with stuff she shouldn't know; maybe she did have psychic abilities after all? A short ranged clairvoyant power wasn't too weird for this world of magical creatures.

"Yeah, now can I borrow Charizard?" I asked impatiently.

I had no idea how much distance Crimson had managed to cover, it was possible that his first 2 teleports were an indicator for his travel speed but it could also be the opposite and the distance he could travel would decrease as time went on.

"Mmm," Hylla mused, "Well, Charizard wouldn't mind going on a chase."

She typed away at the keyboard. "There's a Pokémon Center 3 minutes away from you. Just go west and at the end of the city block you should find it."

She grinned at me, "I'll send her your way. Call me when you're done okay?"

I nodded.

"Also," she gave me a wink. "You now owe me one."

And with those cheerful words, she cut off the video call.

"Great," I muttered, then turned to Ralts. "Okay, we gotta run. Our transport is on the way."

"Ralts." She said and she ran towards the table, she managed to jump on top of it and rummaged through the pile of shit Crimson had looted in Jubilife City.

"Ralts!" She yelled and she threw something from the pile towards me. I caught it and smiled.

My good old backpack.

I opened it and to my amazement, Crimson hadn't even bothered to take out his own stuff.

Removing the TMs and purse I put in my own stuff from my second backpack and slung my good old backpack over my back.

The silver gun that was still lying at my feet sparkled in the moonlight.

Crimson had dropped it and I tried to use it, only to find out I sucked at it.

Nonetheless, I grabbed it and gave it a quick look.

It looked very similar to a gun from my world, although I had no idea what the official name was. Strange thing was that there was no way to remove or insert ammo clips.

The entire thing was one solid piece of steel or iron; or maybe actually silver, I had no idea what it was made of but it couldn't be opened and unless I had to insert the bullets via the barrel my guess was that this was another one of those bullshit Pokémon world technology things.

I yeeted the thing into my backpack anyway, finders keepers right?

"Come on Ralts." I said and she hopped towards me, I caught her and put her on my shoulders.

I decided to leave the Butterfree and the entire base behind, knowing Hylla, she would probably inform the police anyway and I had a certain red haired thief to stop.

* * *

Deciding this was the best spot to release Charizard I tossed the Pokéball at the ground.

I wanted to release her the moment the lady at the Pokémon Center handed me her Pokéball but I had to consider the sheer size of a dragon Pokémon and I also didn't want to scare off any pedestrians.

Luckily Jubilife City had a lot of parks for grass Pokémon and trainers to battle.

With an impressive roar, Charizard appeared in front of us.

Her head was facing the sky as she roared and for a second I kinda worried someone would complain about me disturbing the peace.

However, after her quick show of dominance she faced me, I was ready to go.

"Ralts." Ralts greeted the dragon who was clearly confused about where the hell she was.

Guess Hylla didn't inform Charizard beforehand.

"Sup," I greeted.

"Zard?"

I shrugged. "Yeah, I asked Hylla if you could assist us. So yeah, wanna help us out?"

I really hoped she would say yes, otherwise it would be all for naught.

Dragons were a proud species in the Pokémon world and I thought I had earned her trust last time and I really hoped I was right.

She stepped towards us and lowered her head.

The big orange dragon let out a demanding growl and I did the first thing that came to mind.

I stroked her head and she let out a satisfied groan.

"Ralts." Ralts informed me and she was right, we were in a hurry after all.

I stopped and Charizard gave me a puzzled look.

"We're chasing after a criminal who has a low range teleporter with him. Can I ride on your back?" I asked.

Charizard nodded and she turned around, she opened her wings and gestured to me to get on her back.

Awesome.

Ralts climbed onto Charizard's neck and I followed behind her, placing myself between her wings.

Ralts leaned into me while I grabbed Charizard's neck to get some leverage.

"Okay, fly South-East, not too high!" I commanded and Charizard flapped her wings a few times before flying up.

It was a much better take off than last time, she flew above the streets and weaved between all the skyscrapers like she was born for this moment.

Flying in a city during nighttime was a lot different from flying above a forest.

The cool midair night forth a wind that was actually really nice. It was cold, but in a good way, it helped me focus and forget my tiredness.

Clouds wrapped around the moon, yet the moonlight shone through it and allowed me to see the entire city below us.

It wasn't just the moon, a thousand tiny lights coming from traffic, houses and skyscrapers all added to the entire picture.

Charizard growled victoriously and I had the idea she was smiling.

Meanwhile, I was trying to do the mental math of how far Crimson was.

He wasn't in Ralt's range but he couldn't have gotten too far, it had only been 10 minutes since he escaped.

Crimson could teleport but I had no idea about the interval between teleports, did it increase over time or decrease?

Charizard soared around a skyscraper that had a big billboard announcing some kind of new product.

"Ralts!" Ralts suddenly said. "RaRalts!"

I had no idea what she meant but Charizard understood it, she lowered her flight and changed her angle slightly.

She flew a bit faster over the city.

The cityscape underneath us had changed a little bit.

Skyscrapers were now less frequent, instead, I saw apartment blocks and luxurious hotels.

The streets in this part of town were almost empty at night, I only saw one lone car drive underneath us and a few trucks, probably people who were coming home from a late night shift.

"RALTS!" Ralts announced and she pointed in front of us.

I narrowed my eyes and I saw a figure standing on a rooftop.

Seeing details was impossible from this far away but I could see him distinctly holding a gun and a floating create next to him.

And they disappeared in a flash a second later.

"Ralts!"

The Charizard changed directions and flew faster.

At the horizon Crimson appeared on top of a large radio tower, only to disappear a few seconds later.

I frowned as Charizard flew much faster than before. She had already reached his last location and Ralts was informing her of Crimson's new location.

Crimson was traveling via rooftops, but why?

He could just teleport from house to house, making him impossible to track with the naked eye.

This made him stand out and wasn't really logical...unless.

"Abra's Teleport is limited by line of sight!" I cried out, "He can't teleport to a place he can't see."

It made sense, from a roof he could see more places and thus more potential locations to teleport too.

If he were in a street he could only travel to the end of that street.

From a rooftop, he had much more choice.

Abra was much weaker than Butterfree it seems, that much was clear.

Butterfree had a bigger range and wasn't limited by line of sight.

It made sense I guess, not every Pokémon is the same as in the games.

Maybe Crimson never bothered to refine Abra's Teleport or maybe Abra was just a weaker species.

Charizard roared and spit out a flamethrower.

Underneath us Crimson and Abra had reappeared.

He stood on a slanted rooftop that seemed to belong to some kind of factory.

His golden gun was aimed at us and he shot a few times.

Charizard steered out of the way while at the same time spitting flames at Crimson, forcing him to teleport again.

The flames didn't burn the building, instead they just simply disappeared which was quite interesting, scientifically speaking of course.

He and Abra disappeared from sight and appeared a few rooftops over.

Charizard flew towards him and the pair teleported again. This time even a smaller distance away.

"Abra's getting weaker." I muttered and Charizard gave me a questioning look.

"Either Abra has only so much distance in total he can cover or every time he uses Teleport it gets weaker." I explained.

Charizard nodded and I grinned. "Only a matter of time."

Crimson shot a few times at us but Charizard blocked it with her wings, making a sudden spin.

It almost threw me off but Charizard quickly returned to not be a rollercoaster.

I heard the bullets hit Charizard and bounce off them.

Crimson cursed and the pair teleported away, this time they teleported to a rooftop.

It was a high building made of redbricks, it had a big pipe running over the roof and connected to a big machine.

Chariszard flew towards him and this time however the pair didn't teleport away.

"Hold it," I told the dragon and she began to hover mid air, a small distance away from the building.

"You really don't know when to stop do you?" Crimson snarled.

He was shivering in his nightwear.

It was a stark contrast to our first meeting.

He didn't wear a mask and cape, he wasn't the one holding all the cards.

I allowed myself to grin, oh how the tables had turned.

Here I was, sitting on a dragon with a psychic Pokémon while the thief was cornered, stuck with a Pokémon who was growing weaker with the second.

"I do love my revenge." I said loud enough so Crimson could hear it.

"RRRAAALLTS!" Ralts added, smirking evilly.

Charizard huffed and a small burst of smoke came out of her mouth.

Crimson spat on the ground, "You really want to keep going?"

I laughed. "I have the high ground you loser. You're running out of energy to run. Just put an end to it."

The criminal gave me a small smile. "Fine, if you want to play that way I'll play along."

He raised his left arm and aimed his golden gun, without even looking he fired three shots.

The bullets hit a skyscraper, all three bullets hit the same window and the glass panel shattered into pieces.

It created a distinct hole in the top floor of the skyscraper.

I frowned. "What was that for?"

"If you want to play, fine by me." Crimson snarled. "Let's play hide and seek."

He aimed his gun at me, Charizard twisted her body to tank the bullet if necessary.

Crimson didn't shoot instead he lowered his gun.

"You have my other gun right?" He asked and I gave him a confused nod.

He pointed at the window he just shot. "If you're really that determined let's see who finds who first."

He gave me the finger. "Come and get me."

Abra's eyes glowed white and the pair disappeared.

They reappeared standing in front of the shattered window, he gave me one final look before walking inside the darkened building.

"Are they actually inside?" I asked Ralts.

"Ralts." She narrowed her eyes and nodded.

Charizard flew towards the building but she stayed a safe distance away.

Two questions in Pokéspeak came at me, both wanting to know what to do next.

I sighed and explained the situation. "Crimson's luring me into a trap,"

It was kinda obvious, however it put me in a dilemma.

"He's trying to get me into a small confined space where he can use his superior snipe skills."

"Ralts." Ralts said and she made some weird motion with her hands that probably meant to explain something.

"No," I said. "If we wait outside there's a chance Abra's Teleport recharges and that could lead him to escaping for real."

I was unsure how long it took for Abra to get stronger but if it could get to its original strength our entire chase would all fall apart.

It took Abra three full teleports to escape Ralts' range, from there he could go any direction he wanted.

There was no point in calling reinforcements either, they would take to much time reaching him.

"Ralts," I said, "We're going inside."

Charizard made an unsatisfied growl.

"Ralts!" Ralts protested.

I gave them both a smile. "Charizard, you need to cover his escape routes, you would be too tall anyway."

Charizard let out a sound that was a combination of a growl and whimper.

"Ralts!" Ralts protested.

"Don't worry, I have a plan." I reassured her. "I'm not one to go into a situation blindly."

"Ralts." Ralts gave me a long stare but I didn't waver.

After that she let out a sigh, and pressed her first together.

The shattered window was somewhere on the 30th floor and I urged Charizard to fly towards it.

"Cover the entire floor with a smoke screen." I commanded. "Then send a smokescreen into the building as well. Don't want him waiting for me at the entrance."

"When we enter I want you to find and take out Abra." I told Ralts. "Use your emotional sense."

Ralts nodded and gave me a questioning look.

"I'll deal with Crimson." I said.

It was almost poetic, a final duel, man against man.

Red vs Blue.

Never say Fate doesn't love her jokes.

I began swiping at my Pokédex while Charizard began covering the entire floor in a black, impenetrable smokescreen.

"I give him 90 seconds to hide." I announced.

I tapped a button on my Pokédex. "There's no running now."

* * *

**A/N I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas**

**-11stargazer11 (Thanks!)**

**Cya all later!**

**-CaptainMoonShine-**


	29. Hide and Seek

**Chapter 29:**

**Hide and Seek**

* * *

There's nothing better than a plan coming together.

Maybe it was a megalomaniac trait I developed during my stay in this world, maybe it was the adrenaline rush that was clouding my mind, or maybe it was simply me following my destiny.

Crimson would go down tonight, I felt it.

As the wind brushed through my hair and I looked up at the moon I could myself feel being watched by the Gods of this world.

Moments like this made me feel invincible, sitting on top of a mighty dragon and watching the sleeping city underneath me move on.

I somehow got to this world and I wasn't about to do something mundane.

Tonight I would end Crimson's career.

Tonight would be the start of my own legend in this world.

"They're still apart right?" I asked Ralts.

She nodded and made a weird movement with her hands.

I nodded. "So they try to seperate us."

It was a simple strategy, smart even.

Ralts could take down both Abra and Crimson but I wouldn't be able to take down Abra unless knives dealt critical damage to Psychic Pokémon.

I considered sending in Ralts alone but I had no idea how Crimson would react to that.

Crimson's movement made it look like he was looking for a final confrontation, something that would fit his narcissistic worldview.

He had been moving around at the top floor, not going up or down.

I had no idea what this building looked like from the inside, the outside suggested it was an insurance company.

Through the windows I could see desks and shelves thus it led me to thinking this had to be an office.

It was ironic.

This was an insurance company and right now Crimson had already caused some collateral damage, I couldn't be the only one who thought it was funny right?

There had to be stairs somewhere in the building but Crimson hadn't bothered to use them apparently, according to Ralts of course.

It was such a hack, knowing where someone was at all times.

The entire floor was now covered in a hazy low hanging smoke screen that would soon fade.

Charizard's Smokescreen made sure I couldn't be spawn killed the moment I entered the building which was very nice.

I took out the kitchen towel I brought along and emptied a bottle of water on top of it.

Most of it clattered down, some of it landed on Charizard's wings.

However it did its job, making the kitchen towel drenched in water and preventing me from inhaling too much smoke.

Sadly Charizard's Smoke Screen wasn't like real smoke.

Breathing in real smoke would make your lungs swell and fill it with liquid which is very unhealthy.

Charizard's smoke just makes your throat hurt very bad and it stings in the eyes but unlike smoke that came from fire there was no risk of suffocating which was odd.

My guess was that it wasn't actual smoke (also, the Smoke Screen didn't burn you alive which smoke can) but something that looked very similar and that the people of this universe lazily called it Smoke Screen.

It sucked, otherwise Crimson would be out of air before he could even escape.

Still, it stings and it hurts and it would make Crimson very uncomfortable.

I put on my glasses, not that I actually needed one but they would protect my eyes to some degree.

The glasses were just plastic, mock versions for people to test out if I recalled correctly.

Yeah, I had enough money to burn.

Ralts didn't need any protection, being a Pokémon after all. To her, Smoke Screen was just an accuracy lowering move, though she could use her emotion sense powers to bypass that problem.

I put away the empty water bottle in my backpack and took out the silver gun.

It was kinda heavy but not in the wrong way, like how a sword should be heavy to be balanced.

To me the silver gun was kinda useless, my aim sucked and unlike Crimson I wasn't trying to kill someone.

I would if it was unavoidable but I rather don't.

Still the gun could help me, a lucky shot could always occur, however it wasn't about to rely on it.

I took out my knife and held it in my left hand, for some reason I felt more confident holding a knife than without one, was that messed up?

Perhaps, a knife isn't a very heroic weapon, it belonged to serial killers and yanderes.

I didn't consider myself either one of those, mmm, I had a knife and a gun.

"Huh," I said out loud. "I'm like Joker from Persona."

"Zard?"  
I chuckled, "Nevermind that, just keep pouring in more smoke around and inside the building."

Smoke Screen would prevent Crimson from sniping me and force him to get close and that should make up for my lack of aim.

"Okay, Charizard, fly us towards the window please."

She reluctantly flew towards the window, clearly worried about our wellbeing,

Ralts hopped off first, not at all scared.

It was a small jump, yet my heart skipped a beat when I jumped from Charizard's back towards the hole in the building.

Glass shards fell off the edge as I stepped on them and disappeared from sight.

"Okay, final direction for Crimson?" I asked Ralts and she pointed towards the left, though I couldn't see shit thanks to the smoke.

I nodded. "Okay then. In the words of the famous detective. The game is on."

I offered her my fist and she answered the fistbump. "Good luck girl."

"Ralts." Ralts said, she narrowed her eyes and then suddenly turned around and disappeared into the smoke.

She probably said something cliché like: you better come back alive.

I turned to face Charizard who hovered in front of the window, flapping her wings and in the process sending the smoke deeper into the building.

"Welp you know what to do, keep the smoke pumping." I said and I gave her a big grin, only to realize she couldn't see it.

She gave me an unsatisfied growl.

"Crimson is cornered and practically done for." I sighed. "I already told you. The police should arrive soon anyway, I just have to keep him entertained."

Somehow Charizard managed to scoff.

"You do trust me right?" I said, playing the guilt card.

Charizard huffed and sent a burst of black smoke my way.

"Good girl." I said and I turned around to find Crimson.

The building had already been dark before Charizard blanketed it entirely in smoke but right now it was like playing a horror game.

I couldn't see far, only a couple meters at most.

The smoke smelled horrible and the drenched kitchen towel only managed to filter most of it.

Imagine if someone decided to throw rotten eggs and spoiled milk into a blender and then evaporated it.

Still, the thought that Crimson had it worse made me smile.

I walked across a desk with some paperwork on it, my gun and knife both ready.

The entire place was a big office, an endless row of desks, shelves and cabinets,

Stacks of paperwork filled some tables, apparently just left there while other desks were mostly empty.

If my sense of directions were correct I should be around the middle of this floor.

The building had multiple big pillars running through it, dividing the place in squares. It provided me some cover.

This place kinda gave me the creeps, though it was the design and not the situation I was in.

It was like somebody had copied and pasted this entire place multiple times.

The air conditioning vents, the inactive ceiling lights, bookshelves and desks all repeated themselves like an endless hell of paperwork.

Just another day at the office.

I heard someone cough, it sounded far away but that was only because I was walking at such a slow pace that it made a small distance look big.

A quick look around told me I was surrounded by big pillars on four sides, perfect.

I knelt down underneath a desk.

"There's no running now."

My voice echoed through the building and I moved myself to a new location.

"You're cornered and trapped, It's over."

I heard a laugh, "For you maybe."

It was still far away from me, the sound came from my left, I moved again.

"It's funny how you never stood a chance, want to know why?"

"Don't cry victory too soon." Crimson snarled and I heard his gun click.

It sounded further away again, was he zig zagging around my location?

There was a reason Crimson and I were monologuing.

One we were both aware of.

Right now we were playing a game that went deeper than hide and seek. Both Crimson and I were limited in sight and only vaguely aware of each other's position.

Sound didn't carry far through the thick smoke and we constantly had to check each other's position. It was the best way for the both of us.

I didn't want to wander around with zero idea where I was going and neither did Crimson.

So instead we talked, everytime we spoke we shared our position.

I told him mine and he told me his, a dangerous dance in which the first person to find the other would most likely win.

Crimson however was at a disadvantage.

He was tired, not at all dressed right and cornered. Time wasn't working in his favor either.

I had no idea where Ralts and Abra were, probably doing their own battle somewhere else.

The odds were definitely in my favor, Crimson was getting desperate and the police were on their way.

That was why I was making myself comfy behind a desk.

"It's a secret but I've been summoned by the creation trio themself with a glorious goal in mind. You're nothing more than an obstacle to level me up."

It was not necessarily a lie, just a guess with a lot of assumptions.

I took off my glasses and rubbed my eyes, they were getting dry from the smoke.

"Tssss, and here I thought you were from the police or something," Crimson taunted, "Guess you are just another lunatic."

He chuckled and I heard his footsteps hesitate.

My eyes closed, I did the mental math.

He was making a wide arc around me, interesting.

After a moment of mind breaking silence he asked. "Nothing to say blue?"

My eyes widened, damn he had gotten close.

I counted the seconds in my head, gun and knife ready.

"HahaaahaaaHaaa."

My laugh rolled through the building. "The arrogance, you mongrel! You truly think you can stop me, you stupid fool!"

I wondered if I had overdone my laugh, nah it was good.

Suddenly I could hear Crimson's footsteps, they were very close.

Only a few meters away from me and every step thundered through the building.

"Here's a tip blue." I heard Crimson's voice next to me.

"I found you." Crimson said and I heard him actually pull the trigger before the bang came.

3 more bullets followed, all deafening in their own way.

"Guess you shouldn't talk like that." Crimson muttered.

I raised my gun and took aim.

Just to be sure I fired 4 times..

This time it was different.

The sound was horrible and it felt somehow louder than before.

Bracing myself for the recoil didn't help a lot, the shock and flash still almost paralyzed me.

Still my shot was clear.

A crunching sound followed by a horrifying splash sound echoed through the building.

It was almost impossible to miss, Crimson stood only 4 meter away from me and his back was turned to me.

I couldn't make out his facial expression, yet I could've guessed it.

This time there was no snarky one liner or finishing line.

Only an agonizing scream that shook me to the core.

A part of Crimson's leg had exploded, it was torn open and looked like a meat grinder had gone over it.

He collapsed, his left leg was unable to support his weight; still he held a gun in his hand.

Crimson stumbled forward and I made a dash for him.

I flipped my knife in my hand and aimed the grip at his hand and slammed it down.

He dropped the gun as pain spasmed through his arm and I followed up my strike with a hit to the back of his head to knock him out.

With a kick his gun flew away and landed somewhere in the darkness, probably underneath a bookshelf or desk.

Crimson kept screaming so I hit him again, almost in blind panic.

He stopped after that and quietly lied on the floor, the only sign he was alive were the jerky breaths he heaved.

"Fucking game over." I muttered, still kinda in shock.

Sinnoh's infamous bank robber was lying knocked out on the floor with a small puddle forming around his leg.

I began chuckling.

The craziness of what I just had done finally came down on me.

It was morbid and totally insane to laugh while someone's bleeding out next to you but I just couldn't stop shaking and laughing.

My chest began aching from the maniacal laughter and I couldn't help but to wonder if I was finally getting my breakdown, it was bound to happen.

I had been in this insane world for quite some time and now I was standing over someone I promised to take down.

Somehow I had managed to do what others couldn't.

"You are trapped," My voice came from behind me, "You played right into my hands, did you really think I would just roll over and let you get away?"

This was enough to make my hysterical laughter stop.

I calmed myself down and managed to recollect my thoughts.

Had to contain Crimson and tie him up, check up on Ralts and Abra and tell Charizard that everything was alright. Also, perhaps I should attend to Crimson's wound and close it.

"You ran out of luck. So don't keep the police waiting Crimson." My voice droned on and I turned around and walked towards the desk.

The desk he had shot had multiple holes in it, woods had splintered around it and I counted at least 4 holes.

I walked around the desk and knelt down.

"You can stop the recording Oracle." I smiled as I retrieved my Pokédex from underneath the desk.

The screen blinked and the Pokédex lady stopped playing the recording.

"Now Oracle, how much money does Crimson have on his head?"

* * *

**A/N Welp, this should be the end of Crimson.**

**Anyway, I hope you people liked it.**

**Prepared this chapter for a long time so yeah review and shiz.**

**Also we reached 80.000 words which is more than the first Harry Potter Book.**

**Kudos to you all for staying around that long.**

**Anyway, cya all later!**

**(Reviews!)**

**-bg3929 (Thanks for the comment and yeah, I love my cliffies)**

**Welp, Imma gonna watch some horror anime, bye.**

**-CaptainMoonShine-**


	30. Crimson Connection

**Chapter 30:**

**The Crimson Connection**

Ralts managed to deal with Abra just fine, no big problems on her part which made me swell with pride.

She dragged Abra towards the unconscious Crimson.

He had stopped bleeding, I just wrapped a bandage around his leg and waited for the actual professionals to arrive.

They arrived 10 minutes later which was kinda disappointing to be honest. I thought they would react faster.

They shipped Crimson to a police car but they gave Abra a pair of handcuffs which I thought was very weird, but when they explained why, their reasoning made sense.

Pokémon can't teleport through shaking molecules or something. Apparently it distorted their Teleport and if they attempted to do it anyway horrifying things would happen to them.

Things like reappearing with their insides outside or entire body parts missing or just going straight up kaboom.

I wasn't sure how it exactly worked since air molecules are constantly moving , I asked the officer about them but he just explained it was some high tech shit someone invented to contain teleporting Pokémon if necessary and told me to stop bothering him about it.

They asked me to come along to the police station.

I told them I was tired and would come by in the morning which they were totally okay with.

My guess was that Hylla pulled some strings because they didn't even bother asking my name, instead I could just stumble my way towards Charizard and fly off.

It was getting late and the adrenaline had stopped, thus I needed a place to crash down at.

Being a good trainer, I thanked both Charizard and Ralts.

I couldn't resist the urge to say: "Told you so."

Ralts gave me a weak punch and Charizard gave me a mock growl.

We arrived at a nice Pokémon Center and I returned Charizard to her Pokéball and claimed a room inside.

Once I found a nice room I released Charizard and decided to use her as a pillow because that's what dragon Pokémon are meant to be.

The following morning I left the Pokémon Center to visit the Jubilife Midtown Police Station which was a very mouthful name.

It was a beautiful morning, the sun was just above the horizon and I decided to wake up earlier and just get my business with the police done.

Most people I saw were going to their work or school. I saw some people jogging, some of them were accompanied by Pokémon but most of them were just alone.

It was mostly quiet.

When I entered the police station I got a small applause which was very good for my ego. I had to explain the entire process of capturing Crimson for the reports.

Being a liar I told them I figured out where Crimson's location was by eliminating possibilities instead of using Ralts' emotion radar.

Maybe it was wrong of me to lie but would rather keep Ralts' abilities a secret, especially since I had never heard about someone doing something similar.

I had to give them my Trainer ID before I could claim the bounty, surprisingly it wasn't as much as I thought, it was still a shitload of money and I really appreciate it nonetheless. I learned something new in the process, apparently Pokémon related problems had a higher priority than other threats.

Again, there was an algorithm involved that calculated the bounty, it factored in the amount of danger, the time the problem has been going on, the chance said problem could create more problems, the threat level and the amount of people affected by said problem.

It was again a very delicate process that was mostly hidden to prevent exploitation.

The league deemed Pokémon related problems more important because Pokémon had the ability to destroy towns if they had the numbers.

Still, the money I earned was quite a lot, way more than I got from the entire Team Rocket situation.

The fact that Crimson remained untouched until I came along made him a very pricey criminal.

I accepted the money and went on with my day.

I briefly spoke with someone from the news who wanted to make an article about it.

According to a police officer it was for PR, seeing how a 16 year old Pokémon trainer managed to take down an infamous bank robber would apparently inspire a lot of other people according to them.

Charizard deserved to be in the spotlight as well so when they asked for a photo I released her to be on it too.

In the end Ralts sat on top of Charizard while I was standing in front of the pair with a big grin on my face.

It was a cool photo and they promised to send me a copy when the next edition was out.

Ralts enjoyed her short moment of fame which gave me a false feeling of accomplishment, I had promised her that we would become famous and although this was a small step it was a step after all.

Sadly, Fate didn't smile for everyone.

It was late noon when I decided to give a call and return to Charizard.

I had spent the entire day flying with her and Ralts because, well do I need to explain that?

Flying is awesome.

While I was calling Hylla the nurse at the Pokémon Center was doing a check up on both Pokémon, just to be sure.

The Pokémon Center had a PC I could use free of charge.

I had found a computer to use in a backroom that provided me with enough privacy to make a video call.

However when I called Hylla she didn't give me her usual smirk.

She was sitting cross-legged on a big bed, her long purple hair looked messy and she had red rings around her eyes.

The style of the room suggested it was a hotel or something similar.

Next to her on the bed was a big pile of fast food.

"Hello Dust," Hylla said, "Congrats on your victory over Crimson, quite the game you were playing."

She gave me a weak smile.

"Thanks," I said hesitantly, "Your Charizard really helped me."

"Yes. Charizard seems to like you a lot." Hylla mused.

"Well, no one said Pokémon have good taste." I joked.

Hylla didn't smile.

"Okay, I'll cut to the case," I muttered before looking Hylla in the eyes, "You look like shit Hylla, what's wrong?"

"Now that's not something a lady likes to hear," Hylla said tiredly,"But to be honest I feel like dying right now. I've been staying up for 37 hours and 13 minutes straight."

She rubbed her eyes and yawned, "Been staring at computer screens all day."

"For what?"I asked.

Hylla shrugged. "Spitting through data, tracking money across multiple region borders, directing a mission and I just went through Crimson's entire laptop."

I thought back to yesterday evening, "You said you were helping with a raid?"

She nodded, "Yes, we managed to find the current location of the Snatchers, a hiker saw their camp while he was out in Eterna Forest. The League's special team and the Pokémon Rangers decided to launch an attack together in hope of stopping them and hopefully freeing some poor Pokémon before it was too late."

She gave me a disappointed look.

The Snatchers, I had heard about them but solid information about them was scarce.

They were a group who travelled across the world and kidnapped Pokémon, wild or owned it didn't matter to them.

The big difference between them and Hunter J was that they were shrouded in mysteries. Unlike Hunter J, they didn't steal Pokémon to sell them.

No, if a Pokémon got snatched by the Snatchers it was as good as gone. No one knew what happened to them but it was clear that everyone who came in contact with the Snatchers disappeared and would never be seen again.

It was quite unsettling, especially since no one knew anything about their reasoning or members. They just traveled from place to place and took seemingly random Pokémon.

"How did it go?" I asked dreadfully.

Hylla sighed, "Well I was in charge of coordinating the communication between the squads and everything seemed to go alright; we found their location with surprising ease and managed to catch them off guard..."

"But it went wrong." I concluded.

"They set the entire forest on fire," Hylla said with disgust, "Can you imagine the nightmare that the fire caused? Stuck between a very hostile camp of Snatchers and a forest fire?"

She cast her eyes down, "They managed to turn the tables on us after that. It was a nightmare. Both Pokémon and men were consumed by the fire before the Rangers managed to put it out. Massive damage to the local ecosystem and we failed to catch any of the Snatchers."

I was left speechless; how as was one supposed to react to that?

That sucks?

Better luck next time?

"So yeah, not everyone had as much luck as you did." Hylla said.

"Sorry," I eventually said. "At least you managed to drive them off."

"Yes, at least that. However after that my job wasn't done yet." Hylla sighed, she pointed at the junk food pile next to her. "I've been stuck in this room the entire day, analyzing the scarce data we managed to uncover during our brief raid."

"Got something?" I asked.

Hylla gave me a disgusted look. "Sadly I did. We managed to find a record of all the Pokémon they snatched during their stay in Sinnoh."

"What did you get out of it?" I asked.

She leaned to the left and grabbed something that was outside the camera's view.

A second later she held a long list.

"See this?" She asked, "These are all the Pokémon they snatched, can you see the pattern?"

She held the list in front of the camera.

To me it was just a random list of Pokémon names. I shook my head.

"That's because there isn't one," Hylla yawned, "The Pokémon on the list are not rare, pretty or powerful, it's seemingly random. Almost as if they just snatch Pokémon out of sadism but…"

"But?" I urged her to continue.

"Well, I had been working on this problem ever since the catastrophe in Eterna forest," Hylla said.

No shit, you look like you came back from the dead.

"I just couldn't let it all be for nothing," Hylla sounded very emotional to me, though she managed to hide it very well. "And it all seemed to be useless info we got until the Jubilife City Police force sent me the data that was stored on Crimson's Pc."

I raised an eyebrow, "Crimson has a connection with the Snatchers?"

"Not directly but they are similar in some ways," She sighed, "Did you know for example that Crimson stole 1756 TMs last year? A crime that made no sense in the public's eye, however after recovering Crimson's data I found out that he himself was tasked to get as many TMs as possible, in exchange he got paid three times as much as they're worth!"

"You managed to figure that out in one day?" I asked incredulously.

"Working non stop all day and night," Hylla reminded me, "And it pays off because Crimson held the piece to solve a part of the Snatchers mystery."

She gave me a weary smile. "I tracked down the channels Crimson received money with and turns out, both the Snatchers and Crimson get paid via the same route."

I briefly closed my eyes to reconsider everything Hylla had just revealed.

My first thought that someone was putting together an army, using the TMs to power his Pokémon except that couldn't be it.

Hylla's list also contained worthless Pokémon that were unfit for battle.

I began eliminating all the possibilities that didn't fit the details and came to an ugly conclusion.

Hylla had been patiently waiting for me to reach the same conclusion, I opened my eyes and one gaze of her told me I was right.

"How sure are you?" I asked, hoping for a 'not sure at all.'

"98% sure," Hylla said with her eyes down, "Pokémon are snatched too frequently to form a sustainable army and too random for a collector. I did consider that they were sold for body parts but the local black market shows no significant increase once the Snatchers enter a new area."

"Oooh fuck," I muttered, "So what's the League going to do about it now?"

"The Snatchers already received a B as threat level because of their body count and even after their slaughter in Eterna Forest they were still not threatening enough to change their threat level."

"They refuse to change it?"

"No, they did change it." Hylla said with a sad smile. "After I showed them the new information Crimson's capture revealed and my conclusion they agreed to change their threat level to A."

"You think it's that bad?"

Hylla fixed her eyes on me. "Whoever receives all the Pokémon and TMs shouldn't be underestimated."

She tapped a few buttons on her laptop and clicked a few times and a news article popped up on the screen, it was about a small island in the Kanto region disappearing overnight.

Hylla grimaced.

"After all, history showed that whenever someone is experimenting on Pokémon, tragedy follows."

**A/N: Hahahaha, and here you all thought that Crimson was a random criminal! NOPE!.**

**Happy New Year!**

**Ugh, this chapter took way longer than it had any right to be, rewrote it like 2 times before deciding this was the best result.**

**We are nearing the end of the second arc and I see more people wondering when MC gets his next Pokémon and I again tell you all to wait and see.**

**Honestly, I just hate it when Pokémon get introduced at such a rapid pace that I can't remember anything about said Pokémon in a fic, nor do I reallyDopplerZack care because in my eyes it's just a disposable fighting machine to the protagonist.**

**PS: I went over the first 20 chapters to remove all typos again, so yeah. That also took some time)**

**(Awesome reviewers!)**

**-HappyTr33 (I know you won't hear but sorry to hear)  
**

**-Fictaflare (Glad it made you smile, been trying to do that for a while)  
**

**-bg3929 (I liked writing that myself, but working it out was kind of hell)**

**Welp, enjoy life!**

**-CaptainMoonShine-**


	31. Threat Level

**Chapter 31:**

**Threat Level**

* * *

The world of Pokémon is very dangerous, just the sheer amount of different Pokémon and Legendaries in this world guarantee trouble on a daily basis.

Most of the Leagues in this world used the Threat Level System to signify the threat a Pokémon/person/situation presented.

The fact they had a threat level system was already messed up, the list itself was even more disturbing and made me want to switch universes; I heard that Animal Crossing is very peaceful.

When Hylla had told me the Sinnoh League upped the Snatchers' threat level from B to A, I decided to see what the entire Threat Level System was about.

And holy shit was it scary.

It started at E which stands for small local threats in deserted areas. For example a swarm of Beedrill making a forest unsafe or an Ursaring that was rampaging around because they are generally violent.

Most problems in this world had an E-level rating and they were so common people didn't really bother with them, most people didn't even bother to report and label those threats.

E level threats were 99% of the time dealt with by traveling Pokémon trainers who had nothing better to do.

D level threats mostly involved a Pokémon or multiple Pokémon putting a town in danger but at the same time the threat they proposed was still weak and manageable.

Tentacruel being annoying? D level threat, a Drowzee kidnapping children by accident? Also a D level threat.

The list of D level threats is kinda big, probably because natural disasters fell into that category too.

Still, most people in this world didn't consider D level threats too bothersome, it was mostly just an annoyance.

C level threats involved small towns too, but this time the threat was more serious, think about Pokémon actually killing people or villainous gangs trying to take over.

Problems that involved casualties, both for Pokémon and for humans.

Still compared to the other threat levels above C it was still laughable.

B level threats involved cities.

If a large city is threatened it means a lot more casualties and collateral damage, for that reason B level threats were very rare, though still present.

As I was scrolling through the list of past threats, I found some events from the anime as well, I found a (solved) threat about a giant Tentacruel in Hutber Port, a tidal wave almost wiping Alto Mare of the map and something about Deoxys in LaRousse City which was later turned into an A level threat when Rayquaza showed up.

B level threats were considered a disaster because of the massive collateral damage they brought forth.

And finally you had A level threats.

Most A level threats had one or more Legendaries involved; though A level was not Pokémon exclusive.

According to Pokédex Lady the rule for an A level threat was; large parts of a region are in immediate danger due to a B-level threat that affects multiple cities or has the power to move/spread into other areas.

The big shit you know?

Again, A level threats were much scarcer than the others below it, mostly because Legendary Pokémon dealt with them.

I found a lot of Pokémon movies in the past A level threats;

There were mentions of a girl in Johto manipulating the Unown, Jirachi's awakening and a battle between Rayquaza and Deoxys.

However, most of the A level threats were ones I had never heard of which made sense, not everything in this world revolves around Ash Ketchum after all.

Humans too could be found on the A level threat list.

Team Rocket had been one but right now they were marked as dealt with, it was a small mystery for me because Team Rocket does still exist in the anime but in the games they were stopped and disbanded by Red and Gold.

Hunter J was also marked as an A level threat because of her tendency to mess with Legendaries and her high mobility.

And now the Snatchers joined the list as an "A level threat" as well.

And you might think that A is the highest rating but nope.

S level threats exist too, but they are very rare.

Also, S basically means; We are all fucked.

Whenever an S threat rating is given all regions are in immediate danger.

I found an S level threat that described the Legendary Birds stirring trouble at the Orange Islands and in the process almost changing the world's climate to the point life would be unsustainable.

Another notorious past S level threat was a short fight between Groudon and Kyogre that threatened every region in the world.

The list of past S level threats was very short but one caught my eyes, one reported threat from two decades ago in the Kalos Region.

Apparently there was someone who had caught ice Pokémon from all over the world and built a machine that could throw the world into a new ice age.

He had built a fort on a mountain and created a big ice storm that prevented everyone from getting close.

According to the report all attempts to stop the guy failed until Suicune showed up and destroyed the entire mountain.

You can still see the remains of the fort, it's a tourist spot in Kalos now.

Right now there was only one active S level threat in the world, something called Celebi's Forest.

It had a mention that it was a passive threat and there was no more information about it except for the fact that the problem was under control.

Seeing how that certain threat had been on the list for over 3 decades suggested that no one found a permanent solution for it yet.

So yeah, this world is very dangerous.

Still, right now everything was going alright.

My biggest problem was that I missed Charizard.

Riding on her back was so much better than walking.  
Ralts walked beside me while I was holding a city map in my hands, trying to find the address Professor Rowan had given me.

Pokédex Lady was unavailable right now, updating her took quite some time and I was forced to use a map to find my way.  
The map however was of the entire city and left out all the smaller avenues and it was basically useless.

I was still trying to burn a hole into the map with my eyes when Fate decided to throw me when I bumped into someone.

I fell on my butt and Ralts burst out laughing.

The other people on the street made a wide arc around us, some of them gave me a cheerful smile but most of them were just annoyed.

"Seriously?" I asked Ralts who was still laughing.

"Ouch," the person who I bumped into muttered as she fell too.

"Piplup!"

In front of me, sitting on the pavement sat someone I hadn't expected to see.

She had long dark blue hair, the same color as her eyes though most of her hair was hidden by a white beanie she wore.

She wore a dress that went from a black v neck and ended in a short pink skirt.

A red scarf was wrapped around her neck but it had to be for fashion sake because she wore no leggings or jeans.

She wore pink boots that almost reached her knees but that was about it for her legs.

I estimated her to be around 16, considering her height.

Next to her was a blue penguin-like creature I had seen before.

Being a very nice person I stood up and offered her my hand to get up.

"Sorry," I offered her an apologetic smile, "Wasn't paying attention to my surroundings."

"Me neither," She laughed as she rubbed the back of her head. She took the hand and I pulled her up, Ralts was still laughing like crazy which led to another comedic scene.

Piplup got up as well and shot Ralts a glare.

Ralts ignored him and kept laughing, Piplup got annoyed and began saying something.

"Now Piplup, that's not a way to talk to someone." the girl scolded the penguin.

I felt like Ralts should stop laughing but I would be a hypocrite to tell her not to.

Instead I just watched Ralts mess with Piplup.

"Hey, do I know you?" The girl asked.

She put her hand on her chin and gave me a thoughtful look.

"No…" I replied.

"No, I do recognize you," She muttered, her eyes widened. "I know, you're the person who caught Crimson!"

"Huh, Guess I'm famous," I said, "Yup, I'm Dust."

"My name is Dawn," She introduced herself, "Nice to meet you."

"Yeah same," I said, "Again, sorry for bumping into you."

It was interesting to see that Dawn wasn't 10 but around my age.

Guess it made some sense for Ash to travel with someone around his own age.

"No it's my fault, I wasn't paying attention either." Dawn waved it off.

"Cool, so we agree it's your fault?" I grinned and I picked up Ralts, who stopped laughing.

"Wait! It is _your_ fault first!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Ralts.' Ralts told Dawn, sounding very mug for some reason.

I folded the map I had and tossed it into a nearby trash bin.

"Oww!" Dawn squealed, her eyes practically shining, "You look so cute!"

"RaRalts!" Ralts waved.

She pulled a Pokédex out of a pocket that was apparently hidden inside her dress and scanned Ralts.

Her version of Pokédex rattled off the entire description of Ralts, minus all the moves and personal things.

"Oh wow! I have never seen a Ralts."

"She is very special," I told her and Ralts gave me a big hug.

"Yeah she does look very special." Dawn laughed.

"Hey Dawn you have a Pokédex, could you help me out please?"

She blinked. "Oh sure, what is your problem? Need to make a call?"

"Nah, I am kinda lost and my own navigation is kinda not available so if you could point me into the right direction?"

"Yeah of course I can." Dawn smiled. "Where do you need to go?"

I told her the address Professor Rowan had given me and she started typing.

She stopped midway and looked up, "Wait, you're going to Professor Seikyo?"

"Yup. You know him?" I asked.

She nodded. "Yeah I do!"

"How?"

"I've been Professor Rowan's assistant for the past 2 years! Of course I know!" She exclaimed.

Wait, say what?

I assumed she was Ash's traveling companion like she was in the anime, in the games however she could be Professor Rowan's lab assistant if you chose to play as Lucas.

"You don't believe me?" Dawn asked expectantly.

"No, I do," I said, "I just thought you would be a Pokémon trainer."

I pointed at Piplup to explain my reasoning.

Dawn pridefully pointed at herself, "I'm a Pokémon coordinator and this is my partner Piplup!"

"Piplup!" Piplup exclaimed pridefully.

Ralts stuck out her tongue at Piplup.

"But I've helped the Professor the last two years to learn from him before I set out on my journey." Dawn explained.

So she was still Ash's traveling partner?

Seems like this time both anime and games were mixed together.

"Cool," I said dryly. "So you can point me to Seikyo's lab?"

"I'll bring you!" Dawn offered and she took Piplup in her amrs.

"You can? I mean, if you have something better to do…"

"No problem at all," Dawn smiled. "Now follow me!"

Dawn led me through the city, taking all kinds of routes that only seemed to make sense to her.

"So you travel alone?" I asked, curious if she was with Ash and Brock or not.

"Nope," Dawn replied, "I travel with 2 friends, one of them is trying to get all the badges even!"

"Let me guess his name is Ash Ketchum?"  
She stopped dead in her tracks, "Wait, how do you know?"

"Professor Rowan told me a young girl who was about to start her journey found his Pikachu, which kind of narrows it down."

"Well, that's such a coincidence." Dawn mused before continuing to guide me through the city.

I doubted it was a coincidence, most likely just Fate bringing all the pieces together.

"So why are you visiting Professor Seikyo?" Dawn asked, "The paper said you were a Pokémon trainer."

"Professor Rowan asked me to deliver a black box with data to Professor Sicko."

"Seikyo." Dawn corrected me.

Dawn found the building without too much effort.

It was a big brickstone building that looked like an apartment to me but there was one small metal sign that told me it was a laboratorium.

We walked through the sliding doors and I was surprised to see how different the inside was compared to the outside.

A white lobby met our eyes and almost blinded me.

There was a woman who redirected us to the elevator.

On the third floor we left the elevator and found a guy sitting in a white swivel chair, surrounded by floating holographic panels.

The entire lab was filled with data storage containers and big glass containers, the place was lit by a small light bulb that hung from the ceiling which was very weird in my eyes, considering all the techy stuff lying around here.

The Professor sitting in the chair spun around and faced us.

It was a young man, not even in his thirties.

He wore the classic white lab coat with a t-shirt underneath it.

"Aaah," He clapped his hands together. "Finally the good stuff arrives."

"Hello Adam!" Dawn greeted the professor.

"Sup." I greeted him.

Both Ralts and Piplup were occupied with annoying each other so they didn't bother greeting him.

"Good to see you two," He stood up from his chair and walked towards us.

He had black curly hair and a big grin on his face.

"Oh shit," I muttered and stepped back and successfully escaping a hug.

Dawn wasn't fortunate enough and was squashed alive.

When he was done he stepped back, "Dawn, it's been too long."

"Yes, way too long," Dawn said, sounding sarcastic.

"And you my man!" He said cheerfully. "Everything for science!"

He was looking at me, not at all bothered I escaped his death hug,

"Science?" I wondered.

"You protected the data with your life!" the professor said, "So cool how you took down Crimson after he stole the valuable data!"

"Yeah, totally did that because he stole the data." I lied through my teeth.

"We need more people like you!" He grinned.

Ralts hopped on my back and I opened my backpack to get the black box.

I tossed it at him and he caught it with a grin so big his muscles had to be torn apart.

"AWESOME!" He cried out as he himself tossed it to the middle of the floor.

I expected it to hit the floor but it stopped falling when it flew above a metal table and instead it was just hovering above it.

"So what's inside it?" I wondered, "Hopefully something worth my life."

Professor Seikyo opened his arms triumphantly. "My boy, the data inside contains the future of Pokémon battles."

He walked towards the table and pushed a button on one of the holographic tiles.

The cube sunk into the table and started unfolding itself like some kind of Rubik's cube until it formed one big black tile that eventually melted into the table.

The holographic panels began to rearrange themselves and formed one big panel, a loading wheel appeared on the screen.

Dawn and I were both confused and Seikyo saw it and shot us a big grin.

"This kidos," He turned around and faced the screen. "Might revolutionize Pokémon battles and take them to a new high.

In red bold letters one thing was written on the holographic screen.

_Project Dynamax_

* * *

**A/N Sup!**

**So I finally explained the threat level system which is very important for the future arcs and shiz. Hope it was clear and made some sense to you all!**

**Review!**

**Also, thank you all for following and leaving kudos.**

**(Shoutout to the awesome Reviewers!)**

**-ToadMask (Thanks for reviewing anyway)**

**Cya all later!**

**-CaptainMoonShine-**


	32. Dynamax

**Chapter 32:**

**Dynamax**

* * *

Adam Seikyo was a thin man that had the unfortunate combination of being tall and having slender limbs.

As he walked around his lab, waving his hands expressively, I just couldn't help but to think of him as a cartoon character.

The way he moved, the cheerful, overly excited tone and the exaggerated movements all added up to that image.

It could put him in the "hidden serial killer" category or in the "actually interesting teacher" category, both seemed very plausible.

However what he was telling us was no laughing matter.

Images of giant Pokémon in the Galar region floated around him on holographic panels.

"It's a known mysterious phenomena," Professor Seikyo whispered yet it was loud enough to be heard, "Giant Pokémon are very rare and clouded in mystery."

More images popped up, a giant Tentacruel in a city, A giant Gengar and Alakazam covered in weird symbols, a huge Beedril hovering over a forest. A huge Vivillon floating above a swarm of Beedrill.

More and more examples filled the panels, ranging from video footage to ancient drawings.

"They are very rare," Seikyo held a dramatic pause, "Except in Galar!"

He spun around and a map of Galar appeared.

"Pssstt, is it just me or is he giving us an entire slideshow?" I whispered to Dawn.

Dawn gave me a nervous laugh,"Yeah, he loves doing that."

From what I understood she had met Professor Sicko before and she didn't seem too excited to see him again, her fault for being nice and helping out a stranger.

Her Pokémon had abandoned her and managed to fall asleep in her arms.

Ralts for her part was sitting in front of me, watching the entire info dump with glee in her eyes, what was it with her and being interested in everything nerdy?

Of course I was interested too but I had the decency to act bored when someone was monologuing.

"In Galar!" Seikyo cried out, "Giant Pokémon are a common occurrence, at least 98% of all the Giant Pokémon reports come from Galar, however…"

Another dramatic pause.

"They are different, they are temporarily and only in specialized areas. There they call it Dynamax!"

He was talking about the entire Dynamax thingy they had going on in Pokémon Sword and Shield and it was new information for me too.

I had seen some trailers and gameplay videos but never played it; when the trailer came out I was kind of stupefied by seeing the next step in Pokémon would be bigger Pokémon and never really looked into it.

At first the visuals looked kinda cool but I just couldn't help but think it looked stupid on some Pokémon, I couldn't help thinking about a Dynamaxed Wailord using Body Slam.

Also, the entire National Dex fiasco was a massive let down for me.

And now I have a big hole in my knowledge of this world I'm now living in.

I had hoped it didn't exist in this universe, of course I was wrong.

Does his mean Mega Evolutions exist too? Z moves?

There had been no mentions of those two so I assume they are still "undiscovered"

Was the universe following the anime logic of everything being discovered once Ash entered a new region?

So many questions and yet so little answers.

"So you just study them?" I asked.

Professor Seikyo shot me a hurt look, "Not just investigating it kid, no what we are trying to do is-"

He struck a dramatic pose, "To Dynamax Pokémon ourselves. Can you imagine the possibilities?! Specialized Arenas where hundreds of people watch two Dynamaxed Pokémons duke it out!"

I was tempted to make a "size doesn't matter," joke but instead I just told him my thoughts on it.

"Sounds kinda lame."

He blinked.

"Ralts?" Ralts questioned, clearly not getting my point.

"I mean, it's just the same but bigger?" I shrugged.

"For a Contest Battles it won't really matter, I think." Dawn said thoughtfully.

"Can't get all of them," Seikyo muttered, "Well we're still years away from achieving a safe, on purpose, Dynamax. The secret to the code is quite big."

"Years? You can not Dynamax a Pokémon right now?" I asked.

"Not yet, we have only just started this entire field of study so of course years," Seikyo exclaimed, "Revolution doesn't happen overnight, it's a delicate process that requires a lot of research before we can even think of trying to test it on Pokémon,"

"How do you research it right now?" Dawn questioned.

"We study wild Pokémon who Dynamax," Seikyo explained and a video of a Dynamaxing Pokémon showed up.

"It's a long and delicate process since we can not even predict when a wild Pokémon will Dynamax."

Interesting, so it seemed that only wild Pokémon can Dynamax so far.

"Until then, I'll go over all the data Professor Rowan sent me," He sat down in his chair, clearly exhausted from all his dramatics, he crossed his legs and gave us a grin.

"You think we'll ever have a Dynamaxed Pokémon in Sinnoh?" Dawn asked and it was a valid question.

I hoped not, I hate big Pokémon, they would bring as much trouble as normal Pokémon but...well bigger.

Seikyo sighed, "Most likely not. It seems that Dynamaxing is only limited to Galar, everywhere else it seems impossible, unstable and unsafe. There have been theories of moving the powerspots but the damage an unsafe and unnatural Dynamax might cause made everyone decide against it. "

I let out a sigh of relief, as long as I stay out of Galar I should be golden.

Seikyo strode towards me and placed his hand on my shoulder which made me feel very uncomfortable. "Thank you Dust, without you the data would be lost."

"There are no copies?" I wondered.

"Professor Rowan says that if we make no copy it will be clear who knows what and where the information is." Seikyo said.

"That sounds exploitable."

Seikyo laughed, "That's what I told my old man too, but he said 'what if someone with lesser ethics and morals gets his hand on this'. Haha, imagine that!"

"Haha, that'd be stupid." I muttered.

Of course Crimson was in possession of the black box but did he do anything with it?

He had access to it for 4 full days, of course he didn't know I had it right? Or how valuable it could be?

The chance of him targeting me on purpose required him knowing Professor Rowan gave it to me and when I would enter a Poké Mart to cover up the theft with a bigger theft.

The amount of intel that required sounds almost insane, beside Dynamax was a Galar problem.

The Professor tried to pull me into a hug but I stepped back, saving myself.

He didn't seem to care because he went on like nothing happened.

"So Rowan told me I should get you a reward once you deliver it,"

He frowned, "But I kind of don't know what to give."

A free Pokémon would be nice, or an egg.

Eevee seems to be this world version of the gift card.

"I know!" He said, he delved into the pockets of his lab coat, pulled out a chocolate bar. It wasn't what he was looking for apparently because he tossed it away and delved inside once more.

It made me wonder if all the scientists in this world had some generic character trait and if that was just anime bullshit or a weird case of the stats points being spent on wisdom instead of charisma.

After a painful long silence he pulled out a crumpled piece of paper and held it in front of him for me to take it.

"What's it?" I asked skeptically.

I kind of don't want to look a gift horse in the mouth but I had enough money.

He blinked, unfolded the crumpled paper and revealed it was in actuality a leter.

Seikyo tore through the lid and fished out another paper, keeping the actual contents of it a secret.

"Cool, what's it?" I asked.

"This my boy is the ticket to heaven."

I took it and unfolded it to read what it was.

"Huh, it's a ticket for Cynthia's next battle."

"RALTS!" Ralts yelled and she leaped forward and took it.

Although Ralts could not read she still pretended to actually look over it. "Ralts!"

"Oh really!" Dawn said, "That's so cool."

"I guess." I said, not at all hyped.

I was like 99% sure Cynthia would win and it wasn't even in Jubilife City.

Ralts however was sold, she hugged the piece of paper and gave me the look that said, we're going.

"Welp, seems like I'm going to see a high level Pokémon Battle."

"RALTS!"

I took the ticket from Ralts, it was still some time away and apparently hella expensive.

"So, you don't wanna go?" I asked Ralts.

Ralts gave me a weak punch, then resumed hugging me.

"Thank you," I smiled at the weird Professor.

"And with this it seems all my business is concluded in this city." I told Ralts.

I had finally finished all the side quests, bought Pokéballs and more stuff and made some plot progression.

Now I only had to get my first Gym badge.

"You're going already?" Dawn asked. "I have a Contest coming up."

"I would love to watch but I have something I need to take care off," I lied.

The Jubilife Contest was tomorrow and after that Ash and Co would go to the Oreburgh City gym after that.

And that put me in an uneasy spot.

If they got to the Gym first then they would meet Paul who challenged the Gym leader Roark before Ash could.

The problem was that if I did not challenge Roark first then I would be third which would level up Roark before I could even challenge him, figuratively speaking of course.

And thus I was on a race against the clock to be first, Ash and company had no real side quest between Jubilife City and Oreburgh City, it was like only two episodes of traveling.

"Ah, that's too bad." Dawn said, "Well, I guess I see you later."

"Probably," I said, "I'm going to Oreburgh City now, Ash is doing the Gym challenge too right?"

Dawn nodded, "Yes, we're going to the Gym after my Contest."

"Welp, we'll see eachother then and shit." I said as I lifted up Ralts.

"Ralts!" Ralts waved.

And with that I had finished the entire Jubilife City quest...for now.

* * *

**A/N This chapter felt really rough to write. I took a nap and tried it again and it felt much better.**

**I took some freedom with the entire Dynamax stuff because the anime hasn't explained it yet and the games pretend it's always been that way.**

**So, the Arc is almost coming to an end, only a few more chapters.**

**Review, Favorite yada yada!**

**(awesome reviewers!)**

**-RinchanKaihou (Oh, that is an interesting ship)**

**Cya all later!**

**-CaptainMoonShine-**


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33:**

**Different Approach**

* * *

It rained.

Just when I try to make some progression, it has to rain, just my luck.

I was stuck in the middle of nowhere on my way towards Oreburgh City and the nearest Pokémon Center was still too far away.

Unlike the games, you could reach Oreburgh City without going through a cave so I had taken that choice, the idea of going through a cave wasn't very appealing to me.

Also, there was something about a Spiritomb in the depths of that cave that no one had dealt with yet.

Luckily the tent I had set up did provide us enough cover and it was big enough for the two of us.

Again there was some bullshit technology going on with the tent, not that I complained about it.

Both Ralts and I sat on a pillow and a black laptop was placed between us.

I had bought one in Jubilife City, my Pokédex could do most of the things a laptop could do but the bigger screen was a nice advantage.

It took some time to figure out how the operating system worked but once I got the hang of it using the laptop became much easier.

A weird differentiation between my old universe and this universe was the lack of a developed entertainment industry.

It probably had to do something with gods flying through the sky outside, those things tend to make fiction pale in comparison.

Man do I miss my old games.

I was really tempted to recreate some games from my old universe, the first Zelda should be easy to recreate.

However, I had different ambitions, still a good back up plan if I ever decided to become a lone person living on a mountain top.

Although I think that people in this world would freak out with 4th wall breaking games like Undertale and DDLC because Pokémon like Rotom and Porygon exist.

However, now it was not the time to game.

The rain was no excuse for slacking off and that counts for Ralts too.

We had beaten a few NPCs on our way to Oreburgh City, tried a few new techniques but no new moves appeared.

On my way through the forest I had considered catching a second Pokémon but my time schedule didn't allow me to catch and train a second Pokémon in time for the next Gym battle.

Of course, that was just an excuse for me because I was too much of a pussy to catch a second Pokémon.

I know it's normal and everyone does it but I really didn't feel like enslaving a wild Pokémon.

It was stupid of me but I just couldn't push myself to do it.

I know I'll become best friends with the Pokémon if I caught it, but it still felt unnatural for me, other people doing it was totally cool with me, but trying to catch one myself?

It was a lot harder.

Was it stupid? Yeah, but I couldn't push myself to do it.

Maybe it was just my dislike for strangers, Pokémon were a bit better but still, to just befriend a wild Pokémon and decide that he/she would become my friend was almost impossible.

My final plan was that I would follow the Ash' route and just look out for wild Pokémon to befriend and then politely ask if I could catch them.

You know, the sappy stuff.

And if that doesn't work out, I guess I have to bend my morals but atleast I have some time before that.

Fate would probably give me some OP Pokémon anyway, I mean I was the summoned hero right?

So with no time to spare, I had to design a plan to beat Roark.

Ralts has gotten stronger since we entered Jubilife City and we had one big advantage.

I knew all of Roark's Pokémon, moves and strategies he would deploy.

It was a big trump card, almost hacking but I really needed it.

Our battle against Roark had to be perfect.

Ralts raw power had increased but her defenses were still low, right now she was a glass cannon.

"Okay, Ralts," I clapped my hands, "Time for school."

I had put a lot of hours in trying to figure out how Pokémon battles worked and tried to deconstruct them to their basics.

Right now I came to this conclusion; a Pokémon battle consists of three steps.

Step 1. Pokémon A would attack Pokémon B.

Step 2. Pokémon B would either dodge, get hit or use a counter attack.

Step 3. If Pokémon B chooses to get hit or to dodge the game would reset to step 1. If the Pokémon chooses to use a counter-attack a second game comes in play. A pissing contest to see which move/Pokémon is stronger. A combination of Type advantage/raw power and speed decided the outcome and either Pokémon B or A or both of them would get damaged and the game would again reset to step 1 until one Pokémon got knocked out.

It was a very stripped down version and there were exceptions, especially on higher level battles but this was the most common way a Pokémon battle took place.

"Today, I'm going to teach you a new categorization system."

I tapped a key on the laptop and the screen showed 6 words on the screen.

_Brute_

_Mover_

_Blaster_

_Shaker_

_Stranger_

_Trump_

"Ralllts?" Ralts studied the words on the screen.

"This is what I call the power classification system; something I will teach you today. This system only has 6 classes, way less than 18 different typings right?"

Ralts shrugged.

I continued nonetheless.

"First of all, we have the class: Brute."

I pointed at the first word, "This class contains every move that depends on physical strength and close-range combat."

A video began playing on the screen, various Pokémon moves were mixed together into one video.

I began to explain. "Strength, Scratch, Fang Attack and Iron Tail are all examples of Brute class moves. Another name for Brute could be melee attacks but if we do that everyone else knows that we are talking about right?"

Ralts hesitantly nodded.

"So rule of thumb, Brute means close range physical moves. The best strategy is to keep away from anyone trying to use a Brute move, outrange them or try to attack from an unexpected angle."

I handed her a playing card I had made.

On it had drawn a stick figure with thick arms.

"Second class, Mover."

I dragged the cursor to the next video. "Mover includes all attacks and moves that enhance the Pokémon's movability. Think about Fly, Teleport, Rollout and Quick attack."

The examples were being played on screen.  
"Moves that rely on moving across the battlefield faster, that's it basically. Agility, Volt Tackle and so forth. However, keep in mind that some of those attacks string into a Brute attack. Volt Tackle, for example, starts as a Mover but ends in a Brute class attack. Now how would you deal with a Mover class attack?"

Ralts grinned and tapped her knees.

I blinked, "Yeah, breaking their kneecaps is an excellent way to deal with most of them."

Damn, who had taught her that? It wasn't me, right?

I went on like she hadn't said something extremely violent. "Another way to deal with Movers is forcing them to change directions, be unpredictable or try to play along with their plan and suddenly strike."

I handed her a playing card with a running stick figure on it.

'Next one is Blaster, can you guess what it is?"

"RaRalts." Ralts eagerly said and she pointed at her horn.

"Indeed, ranged attacks that can be thrown or shot."

A keypress later and a new video began playing on the screen.

"Blaster moves are very basic, Flame Thrower, Poison Needle, AuroraBeam, Gust you can name it."

Ralts tapped her horn.

"Yes, Disarming Voice and Confusion both fall under the Blaster class, very easy right?"

Ralts nodded with a smile.

"Now how would you deal with a Blaster move?"

Ralts made a movement with her tiny hands, I interpreted it as dodging.

"Yes, dodging is a good idea." I pointed at the mover card, "You could try that with a quicker move or you could try to fire your own Blaster Attack and hope to overpower your opponent but it would be a gamble."

Ralts nodded understanding.

I gave her the card with a laser-shooting stick figure.

"Next one is Shaker."

"Ralts?" Ralts asked, confused.

I chuckled, "I know, it sounds like Brute, Mover and Blaster cover almost every attack but not yet."

I pressed a key and a video began playing.

A Golett creating an Earthquake, Lapras creating a Blizzard inside an arena and an Empoleon creating a Whirlpool and leaving it in the middle of the battlefield.

"Shaker, moves that reform the arena, you could call them area of effect moves."

Ralts nodded, she had heard me talking about AoE moves before.

"Shaker moves are very dangerous because they have a big range and they last longer than a Blaster type move but they deal less damage than most Blaster moves because they cover a bigger area. They literally shake the arena."

An Aloan Ninetales sliding over a battlefield covered in ice began playing on the screen.

"Of course not all of them are immediately offensive, but still keep an eye out for them. After all, whoever controls the arena controls the fight." I smiled.

I gave her a card that showed a stickman raising a mountain from the ground.

"Fifth is Stranger, sounds strange right?"

Ralts chuckled.

"Stranger class moves hide someone."

On the screen, a Staravia created multiple Double Team clones, A Greninja escaping a fire attack using Substitute and a Charizard using Smoke Screen to hide himself.

"Very standard if you think about, illusions, distractions and covers. Those should be very easy for you to deal with."

I tapped her horn.

"After all you can sense their location"

Ralts grinned at me, also slightly blushing; weird shit.

"Other ways to deal with Stranger moves are Shaker moves since they can attack everywhere at once."

Another card joined Ralts' hand, a stickman clouded in smoke.

"And the final one,"

I pointed at the final word. "Trump moves."

There was no video this time, I had run out of time to mix a new video together and I really wanted to teach Ralts this new system.

"Trump, moves that manipulate other moves."

Ralts scratcher her head, "Raallts?"

I smiled. "Think about Disable, a move that disables an opponent's move. Metronome, a move that randomly chooses another move. Sunny day, a move that boosts certain attacks."

"Raaaallttsss." Ralts said, her version of saying; Aaaaahhhh.

"The list can go on, counter, endure, lock-on. Basically just fucking with other moves."

I gave her a card with a stick figure doing nothing.

"And that's all of them."

Ralts studied the 6 cards in her hand, each one signifying a certain class.

"And you might wonder what use this system has?"

Ralts patiently waited for me to continue my monologue.

"Well, imagine if an opponent uses a move you never heard of but you know it's a Steel-type move. What good does knowing that do?"

"Ralts."

"Exactly, but if I told you it's a Brute move you know you have to keep your distance and try to outzone his move. When all strategies fail these archetypes can offer you a basic fallback strategy."

Ralts nodded eagerly, her eyes were practically shining with excitement.

I opened a bag of chips and Ralts' eyes widened.

I grinned. "And if I tell you to use the Shaker Protocol you know what I mean while our opponents are in the dark. It's a highly versatile system that can be applied without too much explanation."

"It's important to keep in mind that some Pokémon have natural abilities as well. For that reason, Staravia is always a Mover because it has wings. An Onix is a Brute by nature because of its hard body. Keep that in mind."

Ralts was staring at the chips bag, guess I was losing her attention.

I moved the cursor over the screen and a video playlist popped up.

"Now let's play a game. I'll show you a Pokémon move and you guess which class it belongs to. If you get it right, you can take a potato chip...and eat it!"

Ralts nodded eagerly, was she drooling?

I pressed the spacebar and a video began playing.

An Absol was fighting a Lopunny, the Absol lunged forward and used Bite.

I paused the video.

Ralts showed me the Brute card.

I tossed her a potato chip and she caught it, she put in her mouth and began chewing on it with a smug smile.

A video of Litten using FlameThrower.

The Blaster card was pushed forward.

Another potato chip was added to Ralts' body mass.

A Diglett using dig.

Ralts gave me the Stranger card.

We went on like this the entire rainy day, I explained her ways to deal with every class and things to look out for.

Being from another world I had a vast amount of otherworldly knowledge.

I had watched all kinds of movies and series, played games and studied the underlying mechanics.

The current system I had taught Ralts was not complete, moves like Destiny Bond had no clear classification for example. The original version was from Worm and had 12 different classes but I managed to narrow it down to a manageable 6 classes.

I had considered using the Fate series servant classes but their archetypes were too broad for this world.

And this was just today's lesson.

My team would become the best in the universe, and not just in raw power.

I want my future team to be able to fight and think for themselves if necessary.

And with my knowledge of thousands of fictional universes;

There is no limit.

* * *

**A/N So, I hope this chapter was okay.**

**I really doubted if I should implement the classification system but ultimately I decided to do it.**

**I hope I did explain it well enough, it won't play a huge part in the story but it will be mentioned from time to time.**

**Also, there will be more Pokémon than just Ralts, don't worry.**

**Cya all later!**

**-CaptainMoonShine-**


	34. Ruthless Efficency

**Chapter 34:**

**Ruthless Efficiency**

* * *

"You smell that Ralts?"

"Ralts?"

"That's the smell of victory."

I frowned, "And coal."

Ralts playfully pulled on my hairlock, chuckling carelessly.

Oreburgh City was...well, not nice.

The faint smell of coal was lingering everywhere, it was barely noticeable which made it even worse because it was still annoying me, but I couldn't really complain about it.

Oreburgh City was small, way smaller than Jubilife City. In my eyes it was too small to even be called a city, it looked more like a town to me.

The entire city was built on the foot of Mount Coronet.

It was a modest place, nothing too significant in my opinion.

The streets were filled with people doing their stuff, but again nothing interesting.

Somewhat further downtown, I could see a small mine with railroad tracks, the entire place seemed to be surrounded by fences.

"This place sucks." I muttered.

"RaaRalts."

Oreburgh City was important for Sinnoh's economy apparently, due to it being so close to Jubilife City both places benefited from the riches the earth provided.

Jubilife City exported all the coal that Oreburgh City delivered and Oreburgh City got all the relevance it needed despite being a coal district.

I mean they have a mining museum, who cares about that?

We found the Gym without too much effort. It was built inside a mountainside which made it look more like a hangar than an actual League issued Gym.

Inside, I talked to a green haired dude who told me Roark was mining somewhere else and told me that I had to wait for him to return.

He gave me a free badge case and checked my Trainer ID because Gym battles are Profesional battles by default.

I told him to send me a text once Roark returned and left.

I asked Ralts what she wanted to do and she pointed towards the mining museum.

"Seriously?"

"Ralts." Ralts reaffirmed her decision.

I sighed and began to make my way towards the mining museum.

In the end, it was actually pretty interesting.

I saw some Pokemon fossils and learned some awesome weird shit.

Mining in this world was a whole lot more difficult than you might think, the fact that Pokémon could reshape the earth in a second and do stuff that took nature eons to do made the Earth's crust a big sematary.

In this world, it wasn't rare to find huge underground structures which made some sense. All someone had to do to bury a city was create an earthquake or something similar and it would be lost in time, only to be rediscovered thousands of years later.

And the world of Pokémon did have a rich history of bloodshed.

Civilizations sometimes disappear overnight, entire regions could be drowned by Legendaries and apparently, humans had enough time to wage war between each other during the periods Legendaries didn't pull shit.

The Earth in this world was stuffed with history.

It did explain how Ash came across so many "newly discovered" ruins in the anime.

This world had a shit ton of them.

Yeah Minecraft, eat your heart out.

So while I was thinking about the odds of me standing on the remains of a collapsed civilization I received a text that Roark had returned.

"Time to go." I told Ralts, "Destiny is waiting for us."

Ralts gave me a dramatic nod and jumped onto my shoulders.

We had prepared as much as we could, now it was time to play.

Inside the Gym, I met with a couple of familiar faces.

Ash and Dawn were standing near the door along with a taller guy that must have been Brock.

A certain purple haired dude was talking to what I assumed to be the Gym leader near the counter, I ignored him and walked towards Ash and co.

Dawn was carrying Piplup in in her arms and Ash was carrying his Pikachu on his left shoulder.

"Sup, Ash, Dawn." I said as I joined them.

Ralts stayed silent, probably mentally preparing for the battle...I hope.

"Oh hi Dust, so you came here too?" Ash grinned.

"Definitely did, I see you got your Pikachu back." I smiled back.

"Yeah I indeed did, say hi to Pikachu!"

"Pika!" the yellow mouse waved, and God was it adorable.

"Hi." I said dryly.

"Dawn here found him." Ash said.

Dawn smiled, "Sure did, no big deal."

"Sup Dawn."

"Oh you know, everything's alright." Dawn greeted. "Can't wait to see my first Gym battle."

"And this is Brock." He pointed at Brock who had been waiting patiently to be introduced.

He had brown spiky hair and a dark tanned skin, his eyes were not closed but narrowed. Not like he was focused but in a lazy way, like someone who had just woken up.

He was taller than I was and I estimated him to be around 18 or 19 years old.

Brock wore a green shirt with an orange vest over it and brown pants.

Brock looked like the guy you would see at a beach party, relaxed in every way.

"Hello, nice to meet you, I am Brock." He said and he offered me his hand.

"Sup, I'm Dust, awesome to meet you too." I replied as I shook his hand.

"So, are you ready for the Gym Battle?" I asked Ash.

"You bet I am!" He answered, raising his fist. "It's going to be a blast."

"Yeah, once it's your turn." Dawn said dryly.

Ash groaned. "I just can't believe I have to wait for Paul."

He glared at Paul who didn't notice it because he was standing with his back to us.

"Maybe if you helped with the dishes today you wouldn't have to wait so long." Brock muttered.

"Can't have nice things in life. Remember that." I offered.

Damn was I glad I got here before Ash and Paul did.

"Aah, you must be Dust Wildfire right?" Roark walked towards us, apparently done with talking to Paul.

"Yep."

His eyes drew towards Ash. "Then you must be Ash Ketchum."

Ash grinned, "That's me!"

"My name is Roark," The Gym leader said. "I'm the Gym leader here, sorry to keep you all waiting."

Roark was still wearing his miner's helmet and it wasn't just for fashion's sake, the helmet actually had fresh scratches on it.

Brown hair lingered underneath his red helmet and I saw some dirt in his hair.

He wore glasses that made him look like a young professor or something, not a miner.

Grey safety clothes meant for mining, gloves for mining and heavy metal boots. I wonder what this guy does in his free time (spoilers: it's mining)

"So we battle now?" I asked impatiently.

"Yes, you were here first after all." Roark said.

"Oh, can I watch Dust?!" Dawn asked, "I've never seen a battle before!"

Roark shot me a questioning look and I shrugged. "I'm cool with that."

"Awesome!" Ash said. "I'm really curious how you and Ralts battle."

"I too am curious how this is gonna go." Paul said to my surprise and he walked towards the tribune for the audience.

Roark led me towards the battlefield for our match.

It was nothing fancy.

The field itself was a big rocky field with rock spikes coming out of the ground at random places.

It was sandy, very nice for Ralts' moveset potential.

The eye catching part was the roof, or better, the lack of the roof.

Mind you, this place was built inside a mountain, yet it still had an open roof.

I guess it would be good for any flying Pokémon, although they would have a weakness to Rock Type.

We both took place on the opposite side of the field and the spectators took seats on the tribune.

The green haired dude was the referee for this match, he stood on the side lines.

"The Oreburgh City Gym battle between Dust the Challenger and Roark the Gym Leader is about to begin, The battle will be three on three and as soon as all three Pokémon on either side are unable to continue the challenge is over. Only the challenger, Dust, may substitute Pokémon." the referee yelled.

Roark and I nodded.

"NOW LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!"

Roark smirked and threw his Pokéball; "Geodude let's go!"

A small weird creature appeared in front of Roark.

It looked like a small boulder with two arms, that's like all I can say about it.

"Destiny's waiting for us!" I yelled and Ralts jumped off my shoulders and l took place on the battlefield.

"Ralts!" My Pokémon glared at Geodude.

"You get the first move." Roark offered.

I smiled, "Nah, you take it."

Roark raised an eyebrow but he didn't complain.

It wasn't a gesture of kindness from my part either, I needed him to commit to an attack instead of responding to one.

"Fine by me! Geodude, Hidden Power!"

Geodude began to glow and levitated above the ground.

Around it small orbs popped into existence, they began to glow in the same color.

Geodude threw his arms forward and the orbs flew towards Ralts.

"Disarming Voice."

Ralts opened her mouth and the high pitched scream shattered the projectiles.

Most of the orbs were destroyed by the soundwaves before they could even get close, the ones that didn't get destroyed missed Ralts.

"RAALTS!" Ralts challenged the Rock type Pokémon.

"Geodude Rollout!" Roark yelled.

"Geodude!" It cried out and began to spin on its own axle like it was imitating Sonic the hedgehog.

I smiled, this was perfect.

It sped towards Ralts, rolling over the battlefield with surprising ease.

Rollout was quite fast too, I had no idea how it did work but I knew one thing.

Geodude might one shot Ralts if he were to hit her.

Ralts dodged its first attempt with ease, hopping to the left and letting the Geodude roll past her.

The rolling Pokémon didn't stop, it made a wide arc and made a second attempt to crash into Ralts, this time it was faster.

"Rollout gets faster everytime." Dawn noticed from the sidelines.

"No shit." I muttered as I saw Ralts narrowly dodge a second strike.

Geodude sped past her and rolled up against one of the rock spikes, using it as a slope to propel itself towards Ralts.

"Dodge it again!" I ordered and Ralts jumped up, using a Disarming Voice to launch herself even higher.

Geodude missed her by an inch and Ralts managed to land behind it.

"Ralts, Mover Protocol 2, follow up with an Ultimate Punch!"

Roark frowned but didn't yell a counter command, not that he could.

The Pokémon which turned into a Beyblade made a wide turn and went for another attempt, again faster than before.

"What's Mover protocol 2?" Ash asked out loud from the sidelines.

Right now Geodude could be considered a Mover, he was fucking fast.

The downside to being fast was that even a small disturbance in your path can trip you up and send you flying.

Ralts took a deep breath as Geodude sped towards her and screamed.

However it was not directly aimed at Geodude, doing that would turn this into a power match, which we would lose.

Instead, she aimed it to Geodude's right, only slightly brushing against his left side.

It still worked wonders though, a small push in the wrong direction was all it took for Geodude to lose control.

No longer having any control over its directions, it flew past Ralts and crashed into a boulder.

An audible cracking sound followed and it had to hurt a lot.

Mover Protocol 2 was a simple counter against any fast moving opponent, abusing their own speed and knocking them off course with a small attack.

We discussed multiple ways of dealing with each class of attack, and right now she executed protocol 2.

Ralts didn't waste a second, she launched herself up with Disarming Voice.

While flying up she shot a Confusion at Geodude and stun locked it against the boulder.

Geodude was already damaged by crashing into the boulder with a heavy impact but now a second attack slammed into him.

Ralts turned around midair and her fist began shining, a Mega Punch ready.

"Geodude get away!" Roark yelled but it was futile.

Geodude was stunlocked by the Confusion and the force of crashing into a boulder with the speed of a car.

The combo continued as Ralts descended down from the sky like a glowing angel and struck Geodude with her fist, dust stirred up but she wasn't done.

A Disarming Voice was executed upon her landing and the scream threw Geodude away from her and towards Roark.

"..." Roark didn't say anything.

No one said anything.

For a few long seconds, it stayed silent, then the referee got his shit together and yelled. "Geodude is unable to battle."

"HOW!?" Ash cried out, "That was so cool."

I shot a grin at Ash, "I know right!"

"Well done, take a nice rest." Roark said as the red beam of his Pokéball engulfed the Pokémon.

He gave me a sharp look, "Impressive, it seems that you baited me into attacking and waited for the perfect moment to strike."

"Ralts." Ralts grinned.

"Onix, you're up now!" Roark shouted and he released his Pokémon.

A huge rock-like snake appeared in the middle of the battlefield, looming over Ralts.

"You're still good?" I asked Ralts.

She turned around and gave me a smile before focusing on Onix again.

Welp, seems like we keep going.  
"Fine, then use Sandstorm, as we practiced." I said.

"Sandstorm?" Roark muttered, "Ralts can't learn that move."

"Sandstorm again huh?" Paul said thoughtfully.

Ralts took a deep breath and let out a high pitched scream. The audio waves tore through the rocky soil and stirred up sand which this arena had plenty of.

Ralts closed her eyes as the dust reached the height of the arena and she shot multiple Confusions to spread them even further, making sure to cover the entire battlefield.

Sand bounced against the edge of the arena and force fields flickered to life, protecting the spectators from harm.

A sandy mist hung now in the arena making it impossible to see anything.

Still, that didn't stop Roark from giving orders.

"Stealth Rock now!" He demanded.

I didn't see what was going on but I knew what was happening all the same.

Stealth Rock was a move that did no direct damage but it would hurt the Pokémon I would send in next, the moment I replaced Ralts, the Stealth Rock would activate and damage the next Pokémon.

Of course, I don't have any second Pokémon, not that Roark would know that.

Still, it was a smart move that would've worked very well if it wasn't for the fact I only had Ralts.

Big problem for me anyway.

"Your Pokémon are really well trained." I complimented Roark.

"Thank you," he smiled. "Your Ralts is also very good."

"You mind if I ask you something?" I asked innocently, deliberately making my voice higher.

Nothing seemed to be happening on the battlefield, no cries of pain or battle sounds; we had some time for chit-chat.

"No problem," Roark said confidently.

"Do you love your Pokémon?"

"Of course I do," Roark sounded confused.

"Would you let them suffer?" I followed up on my question.

"No…?" Roark said, confused.

I smirked. "But what if they need to suffer in order to get stronger, would you let them suffer?" I mused.

"NO!" Roark said, "I would never do such things!"

Ow, it seems that I have struck a painful subject.

"So you wouldn't let them suffer? You love them so much?"

"Of course I do," Roark said.

"But what if they need to suffer in order to get stronger?" I asked. "Would you deny them the opportunity to get stronger? Just to keep your morals?" I taunted.

He stayed silent for a second.

"What are you implying Dust?" Roark asked, sounding quite angry.

"Pokémon get stronger through hardship, would you deny them suffering just to keep your hands clean? Or would you let them suffer, knowing they'll get stronger and benefit from it?" I pointed out the dilemma. "In both cases, your Pokémon will suffer."

"That's an impossible question," Roark muttered. "What are you thinking, Dust?"

He sneered at the last part.

"Not much." I said, "Just that you should keep your eyes on the match."

"What?" Roark's eyes widened and shot towards the battlefield, noticing that it had been eerie quiet.

"Onix are you okay?!" Roark shouted.

No reply came.

As if waiting for Roark to notice something was going on the sandstorm began to descend and eventually settled.

Roark glared at me, his fist was clenched and I had the idea he was not happy.

I held my tongue.

On the battlefield the lying shape of a rock snake was revealed, Ralts walked away from it and stopped in front of me.

"But how?" Ash wondered from the sidelines, "There was nothing going on."

"Simple," I said, "You should keep your attention on the battle."

Ralts had done her job perfectly, taking down Onix as quiet as possible.

And she had done it so perfectly that Onix didn't even notice what was going on.

It had taken her some time though, time that I bought with talking to Roark.

And while that was going on Ralts had been spamming Confusion, a low power move that makes no sound.

Like poison, you only noticed once it was too late.

Being a big opponent even the smallest Confusion was likely to hit Onix, especially when he too was distracted by conversation with Roark.

It had been a patient job, draining Onix with low power attacks that were almost unnoticeable.

Of course, Ralts had no issues with spamming.

Roark called back his Onix, "I'm sorry my friend."

He shot another glare at me, "That was a sneaky thing to pull, Dust."

"There's no rule against talking right?" I looked at the referee.

"No, there's not. The match has never been paused officially." The referee said reluctantly.

"See," I said, "No one said the battle had stopped."

Roark was no longer smiling, he took out another Pokéball, "Don't think I'll go easy on you Dust."

He threw the Pokéball and with a loud roar a small dinosaur appeared in front of him.

"Cranidos!" Roark yelled, "Headbutt now!"

I raised an eyebrow, I was no longer offered the first move it seemed.

"Shadow Counter, Mover Protocol 1."

Ralts grinned at me and focused on the rampaging Cranidos.

Her tiny chest was heaving and I saw she was growing tired, but she was still fighting.

The dinosaur Pokémon lowered its head and stormed towards Ralts.

Just as before, Ralts waited patiently for Cranidos to storm into her.

The moment Cranidos struck Ralts the clone dissolved and the real Ralts appeared behind it, however unlike before with Shadow Counter Ralts didn't try to hit Cranidos with a Mega Punch.

That would be useless, Cranidos' Head Butt had a priority over Ralts' Mega Punch.

Instead, she twisted her body out of its path and hit the dinosaur on his left knee.

Mover Protocol 1, the best way to deal with a fast-moving opponent; hit the knees.

Immediately after hitting Cranidos Ralts split off into two clones, each one retreating to a safe distance.

Cranidos let out a cry of pain and I noticed his left leg was shaking.

It wasn't broken of course but it was definitely not alright.

"Ralts Disarming Voice!"

"Hit both of them with Flamethrower!" Roark yelled and Cranidos opened its mouth.

A beam of concentrated fire shot towards the first Ralts, by sheer luck Cranidos managed to hit the real Ralts.

The Flamethrower completely ignored the soundwaves and Ralts was struck in the chest.

She was thrown backwards but she managed to land on her feet.

"Zen Head Butt!" Roark yelled and Cranidos stormed forward.

"Shadow-" I tried to command but Roark changed his command.

"Flamethrower!"

Ralts biggest weakness right now was dealing with ranged attacks that were not projectiles.

She was not fast enough to dodge them for an extended period of time and it seemed that Roark caught up to that fact.

Flamethrower outraged Disarming voice and was faster than Confusion.

While running Cranidos opened its beak and a Flamethrower was unleashed on Ralts.

"Dodge it with a Disarming Voice."

After Ralts had managed to escape the Flamethrower she faced a nearby rockpile and used Disarming Voice to launch herself away from the flames.

"Chase after it, keep the flames up!" Roark commanded.

I groaned, "Sand Attack Ralts!"

Disarming Voice was a Fairy Type move, weaker against a Fire Type and that was probably the reason the fire had no trouble breaking through the sound waves, maybe the sand could throw off its aim.

Ralts screamed as the flames tore through the sand and hit her in the chest and threw her against a rock.

She fell over and landed on the ground, I thought the battle was over but Roark had other ideas.

"Zen Head Butt!"

The endless barrage of fire stopped instead blue energy was focused on top of Cranidos head as it stormed towards Ralts.

I shot a look towards the referee but he didn't call off the match, even though Ralts was clearly not getting up.

"I for-" I began, trying to save Ralts of a lost game but she suddenly began glowing white.

And then she disappeared.

Cranidos stopped its charge, clearly confused since its original target was missing.

"What?' Roark asked, "Where did she go?"

I could predict where she was going; Ralts was smart enough to realize that Cranidos had superior Blaster and Brute moves.

Above the arena, the sun began to shine brighter.

Of course, it was not the sun.

Finally, she had learned the move I wanted her to learn for eons.

"Raaaaaaallllltttss!" A long cry came from the shining meteor that fell down from the sky.

She was a blur, the only thing that could be seen was her glowing fist, shining brighter than ever before.

Cranidos looked up at the sky and flinched, unable to do anything.

Then the impact came and it was no exaggeration to say that the ground shook.

The impact even broke free rocks from the ground and threw them around, wind blasts came from the point of impact and for a second I couldn't see anything.

A second later it all settled down and a crater had appeared in the middle of the battlefield.

"Cranidos is unable to battle," The referee called out as Ralts stepped away from the unconscious Cranidos.

"Dust the challenger wins."

When the final word was out Ralts shot me a wide smile.

And then she fell over.

* * *

**A/N Ugh, this chapter took way longer than normal but I really wanted to make the final battle of this arc something cool and wholesome; I hoped I did a good job with it.**

**So yeah Ralts learned Teleport and the MC has won his first battle, well that only took 98K words ;-).**

**So I think there are only 2 more chapters in this arc.**

**Welp, please review, I love those a lot and I'll see you later.**

**(Shout out to the awesome reviewers!)**

**-bg3929 (Here is the gym battle)**

**-Briar_Stone (There are to little instances of other powers to justify adding another category)**

**Cya all later!**

**-CaptainMoonShine-**


	35. Aftermath

**Chapter 35:**

**Aftermath**

* * *

"Here's the coal badge." Roark handed me the badge. "Although you fought without honor I'll have to admit you and Ralts worked hard."

Roark didn't smile, it sucked to be him right?

The badge was pretty boring looking, similar to a Pokémon emblem but brown instead of red and white.

I put it in the badge case, only 7 more to go.

"Honor?" I raised my eyebrow at Roark, "Not everyone is strong enough to afford being honorable."

Roark stayed silent.

Ash jumped over the edge of the battlefield and ran towards me followed by his Pikachu.

"That was so awesome!" He cried out once he reached me. "Your fighting style is so weird but at the same time so cool!"

I chuckled, "Yeah, I try to be different."  
"Ralts." Ralts sleepily murmured as she was lying in my arms.

"Your Ralts is amazing too," Ash complimented my Pokémon.

Ralts nodded and tried to give me a hug but she couldn't muster the energy to twist her body in the right angle.

"Welp, I should go to the Pokémon Center to heal Ralts." I said and Ralts nodded satisfied.

"Yes, my Pokémon needs to rest as well." Roark turned towards Paul who was sitting at the tribune. "You mind if we battle later? That counts for you as well Ash."

"No problem at all." Paul answered the same way I would tell someone to die.

Either Roark didn't notice or didn't care because he turned to Ash who smiled and said. "I can wait."

Ash gave me a sly grin, "You're going to watch my battle too Dust?"

I did want to see him battle, knowing that this was the same person who placed eight in the Kanto League and just won the Battle frontier if I'm correct.

If this world was following the rules of logic Ash's Pikachu should be stronger than the anime.

"Yeah, if you're okay with it I would love to see your Pikachu in action."

Ash smiled brightly. "You can trust us it's gonna be awesome!"

"Pika!" The yellow mouse Pokémon exclaimed, slamming his fist together while small bolts of electricity came to life around his cheeks.

"You're really good at battling." Dawn said as she and Brock made their way towards us. She gave Ralts a smile. "The way you strung attacks together was amazing and that final blow too!"

She turned her blue-grayish eyes to me. "Have you considered Contest Battles?"

I hadn't.

To be honest I totally forgot they existed until I was trying to remember the anime timeline.  
The games and anime mostly focused on Gym battles and the Contest battles totally slipped my mind, although Contest battles seemed to be less important in this world; the League prefered the Gym battles above Contest battles.

"I think I'm unfit for Contest battles," I said thoughtfully, "True I love dramatics and elegance but when push comes to shove I retort to efficiency and I will use any means necessary."

I thought back to Flo's Metapod who Ralts tried to drown, that shit probably wouldn't give me points with the judges.

"Raralts." Ralts said.

"Yeah, I also promised Ralts we would become the best in the world so Contest battles don't fit that particular goal."

Dawn gave me a nod, she seemed to be disappointed.

"Besides," Brock cut in. "If Dust would enter Contest battles as well your odds of winning would become even lower."

Wow, Brock, way to go.

Though he was right of course.

Dawn paled visibly and I couldn't help but to chuckle.

"Yeah good point." Dawn said while scratching the back of her head.

"Welp," I said, "Gotta go, sayonara and shit."

Honestly I had not much more to say and I wanted to avoid talking about my strategies and attack patterns so it was better to let all the side characters get over it and get back later once they don't care about it anymore.

They waved me off and Ralts waved back from behind my back, being her usual cute self.

The Pokémon Center in Oreburgh City was conveniently placed near the Gym, probably because first aid wasn't a luxury with a Gym in town.

Inside I met a girl sitting behind a long white desk, though sitting was a broad term.

She sat on a swivel chair with her legs on the desk, tapping away at this world's version of the smartphone.

The girl had blue hair which made her the first person I've seen in this world with blue hair too.

Mmm, James from Team Rocket has blue hair too, does he exist?

It was a tricky question since the Team Rocket that chased after Ash were kinda illogical and this world loves logic and self correcting itself if necessary.

On the other hand. They were an essential part of Ash's journey.

If they did exist and the anime timeline was at play they should be at the museum right now.

I could try looking for them but I didn't feel like doing something active.

"Sup," I greeted the blue haired girl, "My Ralts needs fixing."

She looked up from her phone, gave me a curious look and then proceeded to tap something on the computer before returning to her phone.

A Chansey with a hospital bed came through one of the many doors and took Ralts.

I told her to rest and said my goodbyes.

After that I claimed a room for the night and dumped all my stuff in the corner and opened my laptop and sat down on my bed.

I wrote down everything that had happened during the battle for later analyzing.

This Gym battle had been quite the challenge but we pulled through, of course it wasn't fair but this time Fate was working in my favor for once.

The next Gym battle would be against Gardenia, the grass type Gym leader.

I was not sure how she would fight but if she was fighting like she did in the anime then it would be very easy to defeat her because almost all of her moves relied on the weather.

Ash had managed to turn the tables by simply abusing the weather to his own advantages, if he could do that then I could just pick a stormy day to challenge her...of course this required some more thought but I hadn't bothered with that yet.

When I was done with writing everything down I noticed it was getting late and ordered some pizza.

Ralts should be up and running very soon and we should celebrate our victory with food.

When I was done with that I decided to check up on the news and listened to the radio to kill some time.

And it turns out, not much was going on in the world.

The most notorious news reports were a string of murders in Ilex Forest and a woman in Kalos who made a machine that could attract meteors from space and threatened to take a city hostage.

Of course the local League didn't agree with that and sicced the local Gym leader on her.

So yeah, not much going on the world of Pokémon.

There was a brief mention of Unova and Kanto continuing their support to Sinnoh in their pursuit to take down the infamous A level threat known as Hunter J.

They were apparently forming a squad to take her down the moment she popped up somewhere.

I thought it was pretty stupid to announce it publicly but then I realized they must have done it for moral and faith in the system.

"Ralts is ready to be picked up." Pokédex Lady suddenly announced and I closed the laptop to pick her up.

Going down the stairs I found her waiting in the lobby, sitting on one of the big couches.

"Raalts!"

A white meteor shot towards me and did a hug attack.

I caught her and she giggled. She began squirming in my arms, trying to hug me as much as possible.

"Glad to see you're doing alright." I laughed.

{Adoration}

I blinked.

Ralts blinked.

"Wut?" I muttered.

"Ralts?" She said in the same tone.

"Did you do that?" I asked.

Ralts nodded surprised, I put her down and to scan her with my Pokédex.

"New moves learned are Teleport and Psybeam." Pokédex Lady began. It was cool to see she had learned new moves but I kinda was wondering what the hell just happened.

I began to look up information on Telepathy, I found a short description that wasn't really useful. The longer explanation however held the clues I needed.

I put my Pokédex away and turned to face Ralts who was patiently sitting on the couch, slightly blushing for some reason.

I knelt down to meet her on eye level. "It seems that you are starting to develop Telepathy."

"Raaalts?" She drew out. Her reply.

She tilted her head and closed her eyes.

A feeling appeared in my head, though it was clearly not mine.

The feeling itself was hard to describe, it was almost like a message instead of an emotion but it was an emotion, just not mine which was probably the reason why the message was so weird.

{Confusion}

She opened them and squealed in surprise.

"Yeah," I laughed, "Apparently the skill to talk to others telepathically starts with basic stuff like emotions and shiz, after that it develops into words and sentences."

I had hoped that she would be able to talk full sentences but I guess it took some time, it was logical but very annoying.

"Ralts." She muttered, sounding disappointed.

I petted her on the head. "Don't worry about it. Small steps remember.

{Satisfaction} Ralts smiled brightly."

I carried Ralts up to our room and we shared a big pizza to celebrate our victory.

Telepathy was a nice addition to Ralts' moveset, sure it needed some time to develop but I was satisfied nonetheless.

Ralts had finally learned Teleport and now she was also learning Telepathy.

It seemed that Telepathy started out as emotional projecting and would later develop into full speech which I was okay with.

Teleport and Telepathy both had massive potential.

It might take some time to fine tune both but if everything would work as I had hoped those two attacks might become OP.

Of course I was shooting for the long game.

One day Ralts would become a Gardevoir and I want her to be on par with a Legendary at that point, not by sheer strength but by being able to outplay her opponent.

That is of course assuming I'm not dead by then.

"Beep...beep...beep." The Pokédex suddenly began beeping.

"Ralts?" Ralts said, holding a pizza slice that was way too big for her.

"Yeah," I stared at my Pokédex like it was some kind of bomb. "What the fuck?"

"You are being called by Professor Rowan." The slightly mechanical voice of Pokédex Lady announced.

I stared aghast at my Pokédex. "That's my ringtone?"

"Correct."

I hadn't been called before, I called other people. Not that I did that a lot but still, I had never heard my ringtone before and it was apparently a dumb beeping sound that was very similar to an alarm clock or a timebomb.

"We should definitely change that." I muttered.

"Right now? You are being called, you are aware of that?"

"Yeah," I rolled my eyes. "Let's do that later, also don't get to snarky Oracle."

I flipped the Pokédex open and Ralts lied down next to me, choosing to abonden the pizza slice in order to find out what was going on.

"Sup Professor Rowan." I answered the video call.

The Professor in question was sitting in his own labatorium, surrounded with techy metal stuff that probably served a purpose.

He was still wearing his lab coat over a brown vest, his white hair was slightly messy and I could see sweat on his forehead.

Professor Rowan also didn't look very happy.

"Hello Dust," He calmly greeted me. "Good to see you again."

"Yeah you too," I said, "So how are you doing."

"Working as always," he replied.

The conversation quickly died down after that and it became really awkward for me because I had no idea what to say.

"So," Professor Rowan finally said, "I see you got your first Gym badge."

"Ralts." Ralts said smugly, directly after that I got another mental message.

{Happiness}

"What she said." I grinned.

Professor Rowan nodded thoughtfully, like I said something deep.

"Dust, I actually wanted to thank you for what you did in Jubilife City, not a lot of people would have gone through so much trouble just to deliver a package."

"Everything for science." I smiled. "Also, Crimson was a big moron."

"Well, I'm grateful for it all the same." he said and it sounded genuine.

"Sure," I said, "So that's what you called for?"

"No," Professor Rowan said "I wanted to discuss something with you."

I raised an eyebrow, "Okay, what's the matter?"

Rowan sighed, "I see that you still only have one Pokémon, any particular reason for that?"

"Combination of bad fortune and not finding the one." I answered.

The Professor nodded, "You asked me some time ago if I had a Pokémon for you, one I couldn't take care of."

"Yes I did."

"Well right now I have a Pokémon who needs a trainer to take care of her," He said and I resisted the urge to smile. "I would do it myself but I fear that I'm not the right person to do that."

Now it is getting interesting.

"Why is that?"

Rowan coughed, "The Pokémon in question was orphaned very recently and she was sent to me but right now she is misbehaving and I am unable to give the support she needs."

"Ow." I said, "That sounds...tragic."

"What happened was indeed a tragedy," Professor Rowan said, sounding sad. "I was about to send it to someone else who might take better care of her but then I remembered your question and I thought maybe you could take care of her?"

I gave him my brightest smile. "If there's a Pokémon who needs my help I am certainly willing to do whatever I can."

"Great," Professor Rowan let out a sigh of relief. "You can pick her up in Twin Leaf town as soon as possible."

"Cool." I said, "Then I'll come by immediately."

Sorry Ash, seems like Fate has other plans in store.

"So what kind of Pokémon is it actually?" I asked.

Professor Rowan gave me one of his rare smiles. "That's a secret young one but I think you'll like it."

And with that he cut off the video call.

I turned to Ralts and smiled, "Guess who's getting a new team mate?"

{Annoyance} was the emotion Ralts sent back.

* * *

**A/N So, next chapter should be the latest arc!**

**Also, I decided to make Telepathy go a bit slower instead of bulldozing it right into the story.**

**So leave reviews and shiz, I love those!**

**-bg3929 (Thank you for your review, but what is a bologna?**

**-buterflypuss**

**-RinchanKaihou (Roark was very confused)**

**Anyway, bye!**

**-CaptainMoonShine-**


	36. The Third Pawn

**Chapter 36:**

**The Third Pawn**

* * *

I found Ash sitting in the breakfast area with Dawn and Brock. It was not even 7 AM yet everyone was already up apparently.

My own reasons for getting up early like this was my excitement for getting a second Pokémon and new moves Ralts had that I still wanted to test.

But it was a mystery to me why Ash and his friends were up this early.

The free breakfast in the Pokémon Center was at least available till 11 AM so that couldn't be the reason.

Ralts and I took place on their table, I put down my plate with scrambled eggs and Ralts sat down next to me, holding a weird fruit looking thing she liked.

The breakfast area was not big, just a few big square tables aligned in neat rows with a big wooden table next to the door with all kinds of foods on it.

There were posters plastered onto the wall, tips for Pokémon trainers, upcoming tournaments and other shiz a new trainer might need.

A big long light bar illuminated the room but the light was pretty harsh on my eyes that still hadn't adjusted to being awake yet.

I wasn't the only one who was still feeling sleepy, Ash and Dawn too looked like they could fall asleep any second.

"Goodmorning." I said more cheerful than I felt.

"Oh hi Dust." Dawn yawned, looking up from her pancake that was still untouched.

"Goodmorning." Brock replied, looking more alive than his comrades.

He leaned back in his chair and I stretched his arms.

"Ralts." Ralts replied sleepy.

{Sleepy}

I raised an eyebrow, Sleepy was not an emotion at all, does this mean Telepathy is evolving?

Ash didn't show any signs of life, instead he lied face down on the table, a bowl of cereal in front of him.

"Pika." Pikachu poked his trainer.

Ash didn't react.

A small jolt of electricity shot out of his tail and towards Ash.

"Aaa! I am awake!" Ash cried out, quite literally shocked.

His eyes widened when he saw me sitting opposite of him. "Oh good morning you two."

"Sup."

"Ralts."

"So," I began taking a bite, "Why are you all up this early?"

Ash smiled brightly, "My Pokémon and I are going to train a bit extra for our challenge against Roark."

"Same as Ash but for an upcoming Contest battle." Dawn mumbled.

"And someone has to keep an eye out for those two," Brock laughed, "Without me they wouldn't even know when to wake up."

Ash nodded, "Sleep is essential for a good performance."

"It was your plan to train a bit extra in the morning." Dawn muttered.

Ash fixed his black eyes on me, his hair was still messy and wet from a shower. "So why are you up this early?"

"Yeah about that," I gave him an apologetic smile, "I can't stay in Oreburgh City…"

"What? Why?!" Ash exclaimed way too loud.

I shrugged. "Professor Rowan asked if I could come as soon as possible."

It was definitely not a lie but not the whole truth either, Rowan did need my help and he did say I could come as soon as possible.

"Something wrong with him?" Dawn asked concerned.

She pushed a hairlock out of her face and took a bite from her pancake.

"Nah, just some sidequesting, you know the usual shit."

She raised an eyebrow at that but I didn't bother explaining.

"Well," Ash said, folding his arms, "If you still want to see Pikachu in action then we should hold a battle next time we meet."

He grinned, "Of course you don't stand a chance."

"Pikachu!" Pikachu nodded firmly.

"Looking forward to it," I grinned back.

We finished our breakfast in silence, after that I bid them farewell and took Ralts with me to find a place we could try out our new moves.

While I was checking out I asked the girl with blue hair where I could train a bit, she gave me some directions that ultimately led to a quiet place far enough to not bother the people who lived in Oreburgh City.

The moon hadn't even disappeared yet and while I was walking through the silent city I stifled a yawn.

We found a grassy battlefield with faded white lines that was a small distance away from the Pokémon Center.

The entire place was built inside what seemed to be an abandoned building site, which was again one of the questionable design choices this world had.

Ralts was ready to go apparently because she didn't waste a moment, once we arrived she hopped down from my shoulders and tried out her first new move.

She landed in front of me and stood still for a second.

Her eyes began glowing red and it looked very similar to a demon or something, then a laser shot out of the red horn thingy she had.

The laser beam was not just one color but an entire LSD trip worth of colors, the multicolored beam shot into a half built wall and tore it into pieces.

{Smug} Ralts smiled at me looking very...well smug.

"So, that's Psybeam." I mumbled, "A fucking LSD laser."

Ralts nodded happily, apparently liking the comparison.

"Awesome," I knelt down to pet her on the head. "Seems like we're making huge progress today."

The new move was definitely a nice addition to Ralts' moveset.

Psybeam was a stronger version of Confusion in the games, having the same 10% chance to cause the confusion status effect.

Nothing really special.

But in real life it was much better.

The laser was faster than normal Confusion and even reached further.

It was one concentrated beam that didn't take too long to charge yet it was still powerful enough to shatter rocks.

Psybeam was a perfect sniper attack, the range was big but the beam only lasted around 2 second and the point of impact was pretty narrow thus it had to be a clean hit to do damage.

Disarming Voice and Confusion both were more effective close range with their smaller reach but Psybeam was a good mixup for keeping a bigger distance.

Sure, at the end of the day it was another Blaster class move (which makes this one her third) but it made the total sum of her moveset more versatile.

The Psybeam could force our opponents to approach Ralts and play more aggressively, combine that with Teleport and we could use Psybeam to camp our enemies.

"Ralts, try to fire a Psybeam while jumping."

Ralts complied and tried to jump, she did a big hop and her eyes began to glow red. However the effect shattered not a full second later.

She tried to do the same thing while walking but again it was not working, the moment Ralts moved the attack canceled.

I frowned at that, it was a minor disappointment that she was rendered imobile for a second before she could fire the move.

Psybeam was very similar to Confusion in that way.

My current theory was that both attacks were basically the same attack; Shooting Psychic energy but the way it was distributed was different.

Confusion spread it over a large area and fired in bursts while Psybeam concentrated all the energy into a long reaching, narrow beam.

This did raise the question where the Psychic energy came from, did Ralts convert something else into Psychic energy or did she draw it from an invisible source?

Or maybe this world had no things like conservation of energy.

"Well, still pretty good." I knelt down and offered Ralts a high five.

She jumped up and hit my hand with her own tiny white hand.

"Now, let's try to test the second move: Teleport."

Ralts nodded and closed her eyes, before she could start however I stopped her. "Not yet."

{Confusion} Ralts stared at me.

I opened my backpack and took out two plastic bottles filled with water.

"Let's try to test multiple things this time okay?" I proposed with a smile.

Ralts cocked her head to the side, "Ralts?"

"Sit down."

She sat down.

I say down behind her with my back to her.

A question was voiced in Pokéspeak, still Ralts didn't move.

"Just testing out some theories," I made sure I felt reassured. "Now, try to teleport the both of us as far as you can, okay?"

{Attempt}

I felt a vague pull in my guts that was very similar to sitting in a rollercoaster that was about to do a drop.

The feeling began to build up, it wasn't a nasty or uncomfortable one but it definitely felt alien.

I felt the tug pull tighter and somehow I knew the teleport was about to happen.

The bottle I held in my left hand was tossed up in the air while the water bottle in my right hand was clutched in my sweaty hand.

Teleporting was a scary thing after all. There was so much that could go wrong.

Distorted teleports were not unheard of in this world

Pokémon appearing inside objects, spread throughout time or straight up disappearing after an attempted teleport.

Of course this only happened when a Pokémon tried to teleport through a Teleport jammer but still.

What if the air inside my lungs wouldn't be teleported with me?

Before I could think up more horror scenarios a bright flash blinded me.

And as if it was magic, suddenly we were somewhere else.

I was sitting in the same position as before and beside the flash and the change of scenery nothing indicated we had teleported .

In front of me the water bottle I had thrown up fell down and landed in front of me in the grass.

I opened both bottles and emptied them of the water.

The fact that I had gone from a building site to a forest clearing was the only sign that the teleport had actually happened.

As I saw the water drain on the soil I couldn't help but to grin widely.

Ralts' teleport had done so much more than proving she could teleport.

First, she showed that she could teleport large distances.

Second, she was not limited by line of sight.

Third, she could teleport other people with her and said people don't have to be in her field of view, seeing how I was behind her during the teleport.  
Fourth, she could teleport objects, the water bottle I had tossed up was not physically connected to me yet it came along.

The final conclusion was that she could teleport liquids.

I turned around to congratulate Ralts, only to find her sleeping on the lustrous grass, her thumb tucked in her mouth.

"Huh, seems like we might need to practice that to reduce the strain." I smiled.

Ralts kept sleeping peacefully.

* * *

"Hello Professor Rowan," I said as I walked through the big slide doors.

Ralts walked beside me, her eyes going all over the place.

The professor sat with his back towards us behind his desk, he turned around and gave me a curt nod.

He wasn't wearing his lab coat, instead he wore a blue vest and gray pants.

"Hello Dust, glad you could make it so fast." He offered me a second chair to sit on. It was notoriously less comfy than the one he sat on but after a long day of carrying a sleeping Pokémon I had no puff left to complain.

"Hey, you know it. If I want to I'm pretty fast." I smiled, "Though most of the time I don't."

Ralts hopped onto my lap as I sat down, making herself comfy.

The desk was made of metal and was lit by a lightbar placed above it, a pc monitor was placed against the wall. The professor moved his keyboard to the side and threw a half eaten apple into the trash bin underneath the desk.

"How was your day so far?" Professor Rowan asked politely.

"Ugh, walking. Lots of it." I groaned, "Though this new Pokémon should totally be worth it."

"I hope it is for the both of you." Professor Rowan sighed.

He turned around and took a stack of papers and handed them to me.

"What's this?" I asked as I skimmed through them, quickly reading the titles and bold letters.

"Before we can transfer ownership I need you to sign this," he explained and he handed me a black pen.

I put down the papers on the desk and began reading it.

Turns out, it was a lot of legal bullshit that all came down on: The Sinnoh league is not responsible for any future shit that might occur.

Of course I signed it.

"Why the paperwork though?" I asked as Professor Rowan took the papers back.

Professor Rowan looked me in the eyes. "The safety of this Pokémon is a big concern for the League. They want the reassurance that this Pokémon isn't being sold to the blackmarket."

"Why?" I blinked, "I never signed anything before, nor did anyone else I know."

"You are familiar with Hunter J right?" Professor Rowan asked.

"Yup."

The Professor let out a deep sigh, "It's really unfortunate but this Pokémon and her mother had both been her targets."

"Is there something special about her?" I wondered, "Not that I can't deal with it but it would be good to know."

It would be useful to know if my new Pokémon was a hot target with a price above her head.

"Let me correct myself," Professor Rowan said, "The mother was the original target but Hunter J took them both despite only the mother being a valuable Pokémon."

I raised an eyebrow, "Did she have a rare coloration?"

"Yes, how'd you know?" Professor Rowan asked.

I coughed, "Well, it's the only reason why the daughter Pokémon wouldn't be worth anything while the mother did."

He nodded, "You are right. The strange color made her a very valuable target for Hunter J yet she chose to kidnap both Pokémon. Luckily the League ordered a strike and they managed to destroy half of her fleet and managed to rescue the captive Pokémon."

"Let me guess the mother died somehow? Collateral damage?"

"Indeed," He cast his eyes down, "Not everyone survived the battle."

"That really sucks…but at least she survived." I said, not sure what to say.

"I can agree with that,"Professor Rowan said, "This left the League with a lot of Pokémon they freed. Most were released back into the wild but this Pokémon in particular was too young and inexperienced to live on her own."

Also, it would be stupid to let a Pokémon who just lost her mother alone, that was just asking for trouble.

"And that's why they send her to you?" I guessed.

"Yes, for some reason they thought I'd be a good fit to take care of her, the papers you signed are proof that the Pokémon is now with you and not back in the hands of a shady figure.'

Aah, so basically the League wanted to make sure that the Pokémon they just saved didn't end up in trouble again.

"That's a pretty tragic backstory." I said, "But are you sure _I'm_ the right person for this? Wouldn't battling be the last thing she needs?"

The professor shook his head. "She needs a partner, someone to attach to. Pokémon trainers tend to develop those bonds through hardships and adventures."

He pointed at Ralts. "And seeing how much your Ralts likes you I can't say that I doubt my own decisions."

Ralts happily cuddled against me.

The professor continued, "I'm sure you are smart enough to figure out what is necessary."

"I can definitely try." I offered.

"Great." He nodded and a small smile made itself known. "Now we got that out of the way, time to meet your new team member."

He rose from his seat and gestured to me to follow him.

Ralts grudgingly got off my lap and we followed the professor through a narrow hallway.

As we walked the professor began to explain. "She isn't used to humans so I kept her in the back of the building to keep the visitors away from her."

The hallway had concrete white walls with blue pipes running along the side of it as if they were the veins of this building.

We passed by multiple doors, some of them were open and led to a specialized room for whatever the professor did in his free time.

At the end of the hallway he opened a wooden door and I was met with a big spacious room.

The room had one big open window that allowed the golden light from the descending sun to shine through and cast the entire room in an orange glow.

This part of the building must have been the windmill part of this wacky building because the entire room was a big circle with a wooden staircase leading up to a second floor.

In the middle of the room there was a big blanket spread out on the floor with colorful pillows on top of it.

There were various magazines, books and other random stuff meant for entertainment placed around the blanket.

As I entered the room big red eyes immediately focused on mine. The gaze was strong and too intense for the supposedly young Pokémon.

Professor Rowan and Ralts waited in the doorway when I entered the room, allowing me to have my moment.

I knelt down in front of the Pokémon and smiled. "Sup, my name is Dust. I'm going to be your Pokémon trainer, you're cool with that?"

The Pokémon in question was small, she stood on two black paws and had a blue upper body. Her fur turned to black around her neck.

She had red eyes that were surrounded by a black, almost mask-like, shape and there were two black appendages that came out on either sides of her head.

Her eyes didn't waver as I introduced myself.

"Don't ever think you can replace my mother." A cold voice replied.

I blinked.

"Dafuq?"

"Something wrong?" Professor Rowan asked.

"You guys didn't hear anything."

"No…?"

"Aahh," I muttered, "Just heard a weird beeping noise."

I turned my eyes back to Riolu who kept glaring at me.

Fate, what the hell?

**End of Arc 2: Journey**

* * *

**A/N And we finally reached the end of the arc!**

**Ugh, that took long. Not that I expected this arc to be short but yeah, we finally got a second Pokémon in the story.**

**Hope you liked this arc, leave a review with your thoughts and I see you all!**

**(Thank you all the Kudos!)**

**-buterflypuss (thx)**

**-bg3929 (Your review was Bologona...did I do it correctly? And yeah, the badges serve not much purpose in the real world. A bit like the house cup in Hogwarts)**

**Well cya all later!**

**-CaptainMoonShine-**


	37. Personal Perspective

**A/N This chapter is dedicated to all of you people who read this, although I nor this fanfic won't be around forever, it warms my heart that I can at least give someone a brief moment of joy.**

**Chapter 37:**

**Personal Perspective**

* * *

(Ralts)

Ralts considered herself a simple Pokémon, not too complicated.

She loved her trainer, learning new stuff. She enjoyed listening to the radio and traveling with her trainer.

She loved the taste of the potato chips, she loved the look in the eyes of her opponent when she did something unexpected and she really loved being praised by her trainer.

There were, of course, things she didn't like; losing, Team Galactic, rain and she really disliked Paul.

Today another thing was added to the list of things she doesn't like.

The blue Pokémon, her supposedly new team member, she was definitely on the dislike list.

Her trainer stared at the Riolu who kept glaring back.

On the outside, everything seemed normal, besides the Riolu being very unkind.

But she could sense the emotions they felt.

Her trainer was shaken, shocked and she felt an underlying emotion that was a mix of disappointment and confusion.

The emotions of the Riolu were very one dimensional in that sense, just a combination of distrust, fear, and confusion.

She silently kept watching as her trainer continued talking as if nothing had happened.

"So, I hope we can become friends." her trainer smiled.

The emotions he felt, however, told her something different; he himself was scared. No, scared was not the right word.

Strained.

Yet he kept smiling.

She knew that her trainer did that a lot, forcing himself to smile. He thought she didn't notice and in the beginning, she didn't but the more time she spent with him the more she began to recognize the fake feelings he tried to create.

His emotions were like an entire milkshake, first you had the ones on the surface. Then you had the second level of emotions that sometimes conflicted and finally you had the emotions that reflected onto the layers above it.

She didn't mention it though, she just smiled back like she always did.

"I doubt I can be friends with someone like you." The Riolu said. "But it's not like there's anywhere else I can go."

Dust kept smiling, though the feeling of disappointment rose.

Ralts had the urge to kick Riolu, yet she resisted it.

She was aware of the fact that she would have future team members and she was okay with it...to some extent.

But she really doubted that the Riolu would be a useful addition.

Ralts watched with patience as more words were exchanged between the new Pokémon and her trainer, it was almost as if…

No, that was so unfair.

For some reason, her trainer understood the Riolu!

This was blasphemy!

To anyone watching the scene in front of her would seem just like a person guessing what the Pokémon meant based on facial expressions and body language but the way her trainer responded was just too fluid, just too on point.

That would explain the surprised emotion!

It seemed that Riolu was not even aware that her trainer could understand her Pokéspeak...THIS WAS UNFAIR!

Ralts had tried to achieve telepathy for years, maybe even millennia and this random Pokémon they just manage to do it without any effort.

Ralts silently cursed this 'Fate' person her trainer always kept talking about.

"It seems like I have no other place to go," Riolu muttered disappointed, she got up from her pillow.

Her trainer received a red and white Pokéball, just like hers, from the professor.

"So do you prefer to stay inside your Pokéball or outside?" the blue haired boy asked.

The Riolu shrugged with a lack of interest.

"Well, outside it is." Dust said as he pocketed the Pokéball. "I prefer it to keep my Pokémon close and free."

Riolu didn't answer.

"Well, this is Ralts," Her trainer pointed at her.

Ralts gave Riolu a cold stare.

Riolu shrugged and folded her paws in front of her, clearly not impressed.

Though Ralts could pierce through her cold demeanor without any effort, inside the Riolu didn't feel nearly as confident as she wanted everyone to believe she was.

Her trainer raised an eyebrow at Ralts and a wave of guilt crushed over her. She had promised to give the second Pokémon a chance after all.

Of course, that was before she knew the second Pokémon would be like this.

"Anyway, we're gonna crash at a Pokémon Center for the night. You're coming?" Her trainer asked.

Riolu nodded. "Not like I have a choice again."

"Well Professor," Dust turned to the old man, "Thanks for the opportunity and I'll try everything I can to make this work."

To her surprise, he was genuine this time.

Professor Rowan nodded and gave Riolu one last piece of advice.

"Be sure to keep close to Dust, okay? Although he may not look like it, he is actually a good trainer."

Her trainer rolled his eyes but didn't say anything.

Again, Riolu didn't answer.

They left the laboratory, Ralts made sure to claim a spot on her trainer's shoulders before they left.

Riolu trailed behind them, keeping a good distance away from them.

She kept her head down as she walked.

Her trainer noticed it and stopped to turn around.

"You want me to carry you?" He offered. "The Pokémon Center is nearby but I don't really mind carrying you."

"Of course not," she replied with a sneer, "I can walk for myself."

"Sure…"

Her trainer glanced around to see if anyone was watching them.

Nobody was, the streets were mostly empty besides an old couple that sat near a fountain.

"You are aware that I can understand you right?" Dust said, sounding more serious.

"So?" Riolu replied, "Is that supposed to make me feel happy?"

Dust shrugged, "Dunno, I am just curious if this is your doing? Rowan didn't understand you."

Riolu shot a glare at him, "You think I would do something like that?"

"Well, weird shit," Her trainer muttered. "Though that mystery can be solved tomorrow."

Ralts agreed, the sun was dipping underneath the horizon and that meant it was bedtime. Unless it was catching bad guys time, that has priority.

"Right now I think we should give you two something to eat and get someplace to sleep, don't you agree?"

Ralts tried to tell her trainer 'yes' but her telepathy converted it to {satisfaction}

Though not optimal, it did pass the message through.

"What do you think?" Dust asked the new Pokémon.

Riolu shrugged. "I don't care, just do something already."

"Okay, then onwards we go!"

Dust turned around and began to walk towards the Pokémon Center and Riolu followed but she made sure that she kept a distance between them.

A wave of curiosity came from behind them and Ralts turned her head to see what it was about.

Riolu was watching her trainer with an intense gaze, suddenly her eyes flashed blue and an almost smoke-like effect surrounded her eyes, but it was really faint and almost unnoticeable to anyone that wasn't paying attention.

Riolu's eyes turned normal again and her mouth dropped.

Ralts cocked her head and studied the new wave of emotions that came from the blue Pokémon.

There was confusion and shock, followed by disgust, concern, and horror and again that was followed up by pity and distrust.

It was such an odd mixed bag of emotions that Ralts wondered what Riolu had seen with her special power.

The emotions of the Riolu slowly turned back to normal as she trailed behind the two, leaving their trainer unaware of what had just transpired.

Ralts decided that she had to ask Riolu what she had seen, though later when their trainer would be sleeping.

They reached the Pokémon Center without any conversation, everyone was apparently stuck in their own thoughts.

Ralts kept a careful eye on both her companions, there wasn't much going on with Riolu, she just felt sad and angry with a mix of curiosity thrown in from time to time.

Her trainer though… he was worrying right now, thinking about the problems the new Pokémon brought, beyond that layer he was thinking about other things, stressing and contemplating.

It concerned Ralts that the new Pokémon brought more trouble than she had expected.

She did realize that adjusting would take some time but this was a whole new level of hostility.

It was bothersome, yet her trainer insisted on keeping the Riolu.

Why couldn't it be a Pokémon without any problems?  
Once they arrived at the Pokémon Center her trainer claimed a nice room for the night.

It was a small room with a big bed in the middle.

There was an open window that overlooked the town and allowed fresh air to breeze through.

Ralts immediately jumped towards the bed and claimed her own spot, eagerly waiting for the meal her trainer would make.

"I'm gonna make something to eat, you want to watch some TV while you wait?" Dust kindly asked Riolu.

"No." her cold reply came.

"Want to play a game?"

"No."

Her trainer sighed, "Anything else you want to do?"

"I'll just sit here." Riolu grabbed one of the two white pillows and put it down in the corner.

She sat down and began...meditating?

Well, that would be her loss.

She gestured to her trainer for the Pokédex and her trainer absentmindedly gave it.

She opened it and navigated towards the radio. A random station was chosen and she began to listen.

Meanwhile, Dust began to make salad, nothing really fancy but when she was handed a bowl she eagerly took it.

Of course, she picked out the tomatoes first so she could eat them last.

Her trainer knelt down in front of Riolu with a bowl, "You like salad?"

"Do I have a choice?" She opened one eye.

He shrugged, "I can order some pizza if you want, or anything else really."

Despite her previous complaints, Riolu accepted the bowl and wordlessly began to eat.

Dust gave Riolu a contemplating look before eating himself.

He sat down on the bed and closed his eyes, though he wasn't sleeping.

His emotions revealed that he was thinking.

"Hey Riolu," Dust asked suddenly.

He got up and moved towards the edge of the bed closest to Riolu.

"What?" Riolu asked, opening both her eyes.

"What do you think about a name?" Dust smiled gently.

"A name?" Riolu asked perplexedly.

"Well, something personal, a name that is yours." Dust mused, "Would you like one?"

Ralts stared aghast at the scene unfolded in front of her.

"You have something you want to be called?"

Ralts tried to figure out what he was thinking but his emotions didn't give a clue, only that he felt confident but that wasn't really indicating anything.

The feeling mostly indicated he was planning something but what?

"I guess that sounds nice," Riolu said hesitantly.

"Awesome," Dust nodded, "You got a name in mind?"

Ralts would be interesting in the shift from distrust to confusion and curiosity but she had her own emotions she had to deal with.

Riolu shook her head, "No, I don't really have an idea for my name."

"How about...Fay?" Dust offered, "What do you think of it."

The black-blue Pokémon considered the idea for a few seconds and after a rather painful silence, she gave a curt nod.

"I could work with that," she said carefully, "Fay, doesn't sound too bad."

Ralts couldn't take it any longer.

She tapped her trainer on the back.

He turned around and Ralts sent a glare at him.

"How could you!" She tried to say but the language barrier caused only more confusion on Dust's face.

"What's wrong?" he asked, stupefied.

Ralts closed her eyes and tried to send the message telepathically."

{Jealousy}

Was she jealous?

Of course not!

Still, how could her trainer betray her like that?

"You want a name too?" He finally asked, slowly as if thinking it through before saying it.

{YES!} Ralts send through, of course, she wants a special, hers only, given by him, unique and awesome name.

Why wouldn't she?

It was a heresy that Riolu got a name first.

"Huh," Dust said dryly, "Honestly I always thought that Gardevoir sounds pretty cool but if you insist."

Ralts eagerly nodded.

"Okay, then, I'll give you one," Dust said and Ralts released a sigh of relief.

With big eyes she faced her trainer, waiting for her own special name.

Her trainer avoided looking at her, instead, his eyes flew through the room, almost as if he was looking for something

(Dust)

Fuck FUCK FUCK FUCK.

What to name her?

Why does it feel like I'm dealing with a timebomb?

My eyes shot through the room, scraping it for the barest amount of inspiration.

I only thought it was a good idea to give Riolu a name to distance her current self from the past self and to start a new future, all that shiz.

Honestly, I had no idea what to name Ralts.

I looked out of the window, having found no inspiration inside the room.

A full moon shone in the night sky, breaking through the dark clouds like a beacon from heaven.

"Luna!" I said.

(Ralts)

Ralts gasped.

A name!

"You like it?" Dust asked cautiously.

Instead of nodding she chose the easier route and lunged forward to give her trainer a big hug.

She loved the name Dust had given her.

And it was such a wise one too, she was sure it had a lot of meaning and he picked the name himself.

Ralts...no from now on it would be Luna.

Luna loved the name.

And Luna loved her trainer, more than anything in the world.

She remembered that fateful day she met him and how he rescued her from that hellhole.

The despair she felt, the hopelessness.

That was the same day she promised herself that she would stay by his side and always be there for him.

She owed it to him.

As she hugged her trainer she shot a look at the Riolu who was now apparently named Fay.

Now she only had to find a way to get rid of her.

* * *

**A/N Finally, the long awaited chapter has come.**

**A lighthearted interlude before we move onto arc 3 and we get back to the main plot and we get to the dark stuff.**

**Honestly I had to rewrite this chapter because the original was way to dark.**

**So yeah, please leave a review with your thoughts and I love you all!**

**-11stargazer11 (thanks for the review and indeed, for Ralts we stan!)**

**-buterflypuss**

**-RinchanKaihou (I'll watch her career with great interest)**

**-bg3929 (Yeah, it will add variety to the combat scenes)**

**Well, cya all later!**

**-CaptainMoonShine-**


	38. Broken Lifelight

**Arc 3: Red like Roses**

**Chapter 38:**

**Broken Lifelight**

* * *

In the end, the name Fay was ironic in all the wrong ways.

It derived from the word faith, which again derives from fate.

I thought I could maybe change her fate, try to do something right.

The sentiment might have been arrogant, but I'm only human.

But as Fate proves me time and time again, we can't have nice things in life.

I discovered that again the first morning I ever spent with both my new Pokémon.

"Alright, I think we're far enough to not bother people." I spoke out loud.

The Riolu who I had only named Fay yesterday sat down on a boulder with a clear lack of interest, she did that a lot.

The Ralts, who I had named Luna after carefully thinking it over, waited in front of me, patiently and with an expecting smile.

She had managed not to pass out this time after teleporting which was a whole level up of her powers.

Of course, we had crossed a smaller distance but this time we had the additional Riolu to teleport with us.

The limits of Luna's teleport had to be tested, for science!

Also, since Teleport is OP, if we could manage to make Luna push the limits, that could help us survive in this world

"So Fay," I turned to face her, "Do you want to battle?"

She raised an eyebrow, "I have a choice?"

"Of course, it's not like I'm gonna force someone. If you don't want to fight you just hang around."

"No. I want to learn how to fight as well." Fay decided to my surprise. "Though I don't have any prior experience."

I raised an eyebrow, this was a rather sudden shift in behaviour and it was pretty concerning.

It was easy to guess her motivation and said motivation was really concerning.

Still, at least it was something.

I was honest when I told her that she had a choice.

Of course, I had hoped that she would say yes but besides that, I'm still a human. Perhaps a bit sociopathic or pragmatic, but I believe in freedom of choice.

Though I still stood with my point that Fay needed a psychiatrist instead of a trainer, not that I was complaining.

"Okay," I finally said, "If you are part of my team I want you to know that I have my own fighting style."

{Determination} Luna nodded seriously.

"So?" Fay said arrogantly.

"Well, my training might be a bit unorthodox."

Rather than telling her about it, I decided to show her my way of teaching instead.

I turned to Luna who had taken the liberty to sit down on the grass.

"Ready to learn, Luna? I sat down in front of her and opened my backpack.

Luna's eyes widened as she saw what I took out of my backpack.

Cueing the Zelda soundtrack in my mind I revealed a puzzle.

Or better yet, a 3d puzzle.

I bought it in Jubilife City in a tourist shop. It was a cardboard remake of the Global Trade Station which was a hotspot for tourists because of its amazing architecture, something about the building being able to resist a level 9 Earthquake on the Groudon scale.

The puzzle itself was not that sturdy, it was made of cardboard pieces that fitted into a 3d frame you had to set up.

"Here's a puzzle Luna," her eyes gleamed with excitement and she grabbed one of the pieces but before she could place it I interrupted her.

"Without using your hands." I finally added.

{Question?} a telepathic message came through.

From the corner of my eyes, I saw Fay being interested, though she tried to pretend she wasn't.

"I want you to teleport the pieces into place."

I grabbed one of the pieces and placed it against the frame.

The pieces were pretty big, probably because this was meant for kids and it wasn't a full-scale model.

There was no Lego in this world, otherwise, I would use that.

"It may sound hard but I know it's possible," I lied, "I have full trust you can do it, right?"

Luna nodded eagerly and a puzzle piece began to glow.

It appeared atop of the framework and began falling, but before it could hit the grass, it disappeared again.

This time it appeared closer to the previously placed puzzle piece, brushing against it before that attempt failed too.

Luna narrowed her eyes and leaned forward, almost as if she was willing the piece to fit.

Considering that Teleport is a will based move and not a physical one it makes some sense.

It did require some research in the future, for example, did she move the particles that made up the original object or does she move it into a different dimension and then pull it out somewhere else? If said dimension was smaller than this dimension then it would certainly be usable as a teleporting tool, like the Nether in Minecraft, giving off the illusion of teleporting.

And if you're thinking that alternate dimensions are bullshit? Have you ever read the Pokédex?

I am like 99,9% sure they exist and that some Pokémon could access them and not only Legendaries.

The existence of Teleport jammers heavily implied that someone in this world had already researched it.

However, after someone had used Teleport jammers to turn Pokémon into psychic teleportation bombs they decided that the information and details about the research were a classified secret that only special people could access.

So now I had to start from scratch.

The piece flashed white and reappeared on the cardboard frame, this time it neatly fitted the bump on the first piece, making a perfect connection.

I grinned, "Awesome, keep this up, Luna."

She smiled at me and I got up. A third piece already tumbled off the frame; this would at least keep her busy a good hour.

I turned to Fay who sat on the boulder, still not looking convinced.

"So, what's the point of her solving a puzzle?" Fay said coldly, "Seems really useless."

A smile crept on my face, "Simple, I want Luna to have fine control over the position she teleports things into or away from, you could call it hand eye coordination but without the hand part."

Fay raised an eyebrow, effectively stealing my shtick and looking annoyed at the same time.

"Imagine her being able to teleport incoming projectiles out of her way, teleporting the soil underneath her opponent's feet away, teleporting a wall in front of her to block an attack."

"Why don't you have her do that instead?" She pointed out, it was still weird to talk to a Pokémon.

Especially since I was bigger, yet she talked like she was an adult and actually scolding me.

She stood on her both two back paws like a human which made me think of her as a child, which she was but the way she talked was totally not childish.

It was rather disturbing though that word has gotten meaningless in this world.

"Because I want her to understand the move fully before moving to new territories." I explained.

Fay scowled, "I don't want that. I need to get strong faster."

"Oh, and why is that?" I knelt down so I met her on eye level.

Fay looked away.

She wasn't really subtle about it.

"Let me guess," I said, "You want to kill Hunter J."

The red eyes surrounded by the black mask widened with shock.

"H-how?" She muttered.

I resisted the urge to roll with my eyes, honestly, it wasn't that much of a stretch.

But the problem remained, how to deal with this stuff?

I let out a sigh, "You know that it's a stupid idea right? Revenge won't solve anything."

It felt lame even to my own ears, I had heard it so many times in movies and books but saying it for real...no it doesn't even sound remotely true.

Fay's eyes narrowed, "I _will_ kill Hunter J."

How should I control this conversation? Logical arguments or moral arguments?

Counseling was really not my forte, especially since I had the urge to freak out myself. Luckily I had the skill to keep moving and pretend everything was alright but Fay didn't.

Was it weird that I wanted to tell the little Pokémon that she could suck it and that I had lost my entire world?

I rubbed my temples, I really don't want to mess this up but this shit was way above my level.

How do I explain that killing someone isn't alright?

Was I supposed to make her cope with her parents' loss or to get over it?

"Look I get it, Hunter J's a bitch but you have to realize that killing someone like her isn't a walk in the park," I let a brief silence set in before continuing, "She's an A class threat, you know what that means?"

Fay shook her head.

"She has multiple regions trying to hunt her already and _they_ even failed to do more than just driving her off. Hunter J protects herself with a massive fleet that can turn invisible." I decided to turn the conversation, "It isn't that I don't want Hunter J dead myself."

Preferable someone else, instead of me.

"It's that you shouldn't waste your time and effort chasing a…" I was about to say dream but that would be a bit morbid, "Vendetta that's likely to get you killed."

She folded her paws in front of her chest, "Then so be it."

Her eyes flared a bit blue, "So are you going to teach me something? The old man told me that's what you do. So teach me how to get stronger."

Fay stared at me with an expecting look, like I was some wizard that could make her level up instantly.

"Is that all you want?" I asked.

"There's nothing else left." Fay muttered, her eyes down and her posture faltered.

"You could make something new."

She scoffed indignantly. "No, I'm going to kill Hunter J, you can either help me get stronger or I'll find another trainer."

I sighed, it seems like I had to play the long game and try to change her view.

I really don't want Fay to become a murderer, especially with how young she was. It wasn't illegal per se, almost every person and non legendary Pokémon that causes a B or above level threat have a kill order but even if it was legal, I wouldn't let my own Pokemon become murderers.

Wow, I already started considering Fay as my own.

I leveled with Fay, "You know what, I'll help you get stronger and maybe you'll learn that there's more to life."

I gave her a smile, "Remember, you're not alone."

"I will keep that in mind," She clearly lied, not that I could do anything right now. "Now, can we move on with the real part?"

Behind us, the tower of pieces collapsed.

When I looked around Ra...Luna shot me an apologetic smile and gave me a thumbs up.

"Don't worry about it," I reassured her, "You'll get the hang of it."

She nodded and waved her hand, a few pieces teleported into places but an equal amount of pieces fell to the ground.

I turned back to Fay.

"Okay, before we start I need to know one thing." I began, "And it's about aura."

She tilted her head, "What's about it?"

"I want to know why we can talk like this." I said, "It is important, not only for your future but also mine."

Was this my secret power? Aura?

Honestly, it was a little bit underwhelming, aura was not that powerful, especially not in a world like this where gods roam the land and can blow off mountain tops.

"I don't know," Fay said, "I already told you yesterday."

"It's either you who does this, perhaps subconsciously or it could be me who's doing it somehow _or_ it could be a third party."

"A third party?" Fay asked skeptically.

"Story for later, but you got a clue."

"Maybe I have a weird aura power?" I theorized, after all, I was the summoned hero.

Fay raised an eyebrow. "I am pretty sure you don't."

"Oh, and why do you think that?"

She scoffed, "Have you ever seen your own aura?"

"What's wrong with my aura?"

No answer came, instead she avoided looking me in the eyes.

"What's wrong with my aura?" I asked again, this time more urging.

"It's broken," Fay nodded, "Your aura is the worst I've ever seen."

I felt a pit in my stomach.

"I've seen trees with better aura," Fay continued relentlessly, "Yours is like someone took it and tried to shred it to parts. Put it into a meat grinder or tore it into two pieces. "

She shook her head, "Maybe the lack of a healthy aura is the reason you can communicate with me."

I stayed silent.

Fay slammed down the final nail in the coffin. "You by all rights, should be dead."

* * *

**A/N And finally we start the third story arc.**

**Sorry for the late update but I had to spend some time revising the story and playing Portal 1 so yeah, you people won't mind right?**

**Hope this chapter is good, had some trouble writing it. As always starting a new arc takes some time before I can find the momentum to have the story write for itself.**

**And yeah, no aura for Dust.**

**Honestly I think that aura breaks so many stories and turns them into a boring puzzle with aura coming on top by sheer stupidity.**

**Welp thank you all for 900 Followers! You guys rock harder than [insert bad metaphor here] be proud of yourself!**

**Leave a review and favorite/follow this story!**

**(Awesome reviewers!)**

**-11stargazer11 (I too thought it would make for an interesting chapter)**

**-buterflypuss**

**-Briar_Stone (her small heart would shatter)**

**Well, Cya all later!**

**-CaptainMoonShine-**


	39. Crash Course

**Chapter 39:**

**Crash Course**

* * *

The bullet tore through the wood and splintered it, a second loud bang came from the tree bark snapping from the impact.

More bullets penetrated the tree and it was pretty damn satisfying.

And I didn't have to worry about running out of ammunition because the golden and silver gun had unlimited ammunition.

Okay not really unlimited, but as long as I charged it with electricity every so often, it shouldn't be a problem.

I was not sure how the gun converted electricity into bullets since that shouldn't be possible but impossible had become a joke in this world.

The fact that the bullets disappear once they hit a target made it very hard to figure it out.

Not that I really cared right now.

Instead, I was just focusing on how good it felt to fire them into the trees.

My aim was a bit off but shooting with two guns was way harder than in the movies, the recoil and the distracting flash were not helping either.

Still, it was something to distract me and help me calm down my anger.

Because finding out that the one cliché power in this world was not available to me?

That sucks.

Guns don't.

And yeah I might not be a John Wick yet but I will be...one day.

The problem was that Pokémon were mostly unaffected by bullets, still, it was my way of coping with the lack of any real offensive or defensive power.

Guess I just have to make my Pokémon more broken to fill in that spot.

Seems that whoever brought me to this world couldn't even give me a basic superpower and instead just shredded my Aura which might as well have killed me in the process.

I kept firing for a solid 10 minutes before deciding that I no longer felt the need to set something on fire and returned to my Pokémon.

Luna was just placing her final piece on the construction and turned to me with a wide grin.

The miniaturized building was now complete with every piece neatly fitting in the right place, it wasn't really impressive until you considered that she did it without touching a single piece and within 2 hours.

Fay had taken it upon herself to meditate and wait until I came back, she lazily opened one eye and asked. "Are you done?"

{Concern?} The green-haired telepath asked.

"Nah, I'm fine," I told Luna, "Don't worry, just blowing off some steam."

She gave me a skeptical look even though I was this time completely honest with her. Shooting a gun is fun and very therapeutic and yes, I do realize that it wasn't a healthy way of dealing with shit.

"You've been gone for an hour." Fay said, annoyed.

I gave her an annoyed look, my best one if you ask me. "Hearing you should be dead is kind of sucky to hear you know?"

She shrugged, "Had to break it to you somehow, can we now work on my training?"

"Ralts!" Luna cried out and Luna scowled.

"Just saying," she shrugged, "he promised to help me."

I ignored the squabble they had and took out my Pokédex, "You know what this is?"

Fay jumped off the rock and took a step closer to study it.

"Nope."

Luna abandoned her puzzle and walked towards us, probably curious herself.

"It's a Pokédex, I explained, it can be used to analyze a Pokémon's move and see what they can do." I explained. It can also be used for a lot of other stuff but the original usage of a Pokédex was simply to analyze a Pokémon.

"So this device can see what techniques I already know?" Fay wondered with curiosity.

"Not exactly," I admitted, "Broadly, it can, but it doesn't store individual variations on already existing techniques."

Luna's sand attacks were not visible in her profile which kind of makes sense but is still a big limitation, what if a Pokémon invents a new move?

How will it ever be recorded into the Pokédex if it only categorizes existing moves?

On the flip side, how would anyone ever know that a move is a new move when it could also be another technique that is applied to an already existing move?

You get the point, there are some glaring flaws in the move system.

"Okay, this might tickle," I announced as I pointed the Pokédex at the blue Riolu.

Fay for her part didn't giggle once, she just kept staring at the Pokédex with a face that was a mix of impatience and annoyance.

" _Riolu, the Emanation Pokémon. When sad or scared, Riolu's Aura becomes stronger as a way of signaling its allies."_ Pokédex lady shared some of her infinite wisdom with us.

I wanted to debate against that statement and point out that Pokémon are more powerful in general when they feel cornered, but meh.

I went to the move pool page and the mechanical voice began to speak. " _This Riolu, currently nicknamed Fay, has the special ability Inner Focus. Currently, the known moves are: Counter, Metal Claw and Quick Attack. This Riolu is female and is very hosti-"_ I tapped the button and stared at Fay who had a pondering look on her face.

"That's weird," She said out loud, "I only used Metal Claw and that was during the Hunter J raid," she had a dark look on her face and I suspected that she didn't use her claws to polish her nails. "But Counter and Quick Attack?"

I shrugged, "Weird shit, something about move potential? Those two attacks should come around whenever it's convenient."

"No!" She said, "I don't have time for that."

Oh yeah, her quest for vengeance, can't forget that my small Riolu has sworn vengeance and wants to become fucking Batman but without a no-killing rule.

"Well, you could try running and see if Quick Attack comes out." I offered.

I made myself comfortable on the boulder and Luna sat down next to me, intensely staring at Fay with a look I would almost describe as creepy.

"You think that could work?" Fay asked excitedly.

{Doubt} Luna conversed.

Fay scowled, "And what do you know about it?"

"Ralts." Ralts said with a smug smile.

I, again, decided to end this discussion and gave Fay a studying look. "Maybe we should try a blindfold. Train your Aura sight and accuracy."

Fay looked visibly shaken by that. "A-a blindfold?" She muttered. "Are you crazy?!"

"What do you mean?"

"I don't trust either one of you." She said, narrowing her eyes. "So that's a no go."

"Ralts." Luna said, sounding very innocent.

Fay glared at Luna, "What did you say?"

It was clearly a rhetorical question but I had no idea what Luna had just said since she didn't bother to share it telepathically.

"Ralts." Luna repeated. She hopped down from the boulder and took a step towards the Riolu.

"Then come and GET IT!" Fay shouted and she retracted her left arm.

And with that, Poké-hell broke loose.

Like she was the Wolverine, three silver claws, though not as long, appeared on the end of both her paws where normally the nails would be.

They were glowing and had a color that was between silver and white.

With a scream, she punched her arm forward as if to punch her.

It was a sloppy move, first because Metal Claw wasn't really a punching move but more a scratch move, second because it was clear that Fay had never actually battled before.

The white telepathic Pokémon made a short hop and screamed down to launch herself a small distance away from Fay.

Fay was outside the range of Disarming Voice but the sound was still very loud and disorienting for someone who has never been exposed to it before.

Fay stumbled backwards, and she was very vulnerable at that moment, Ralts, however, didn't attack.

Instead she just patiently waited for Fay to regain her senses.

Fay shook her head a few times and focused on Luna again who smiled at her. "RaRalts."

"You watch your mouth!" Fay yelled and she again lunged towards Luna.

As Fay lunged towards Luna, the psychic simply twisted her body out of Fay's path, twisting around her angle and her fist glowed white as well.

The way it happened was almost comical, the punch connected with Fay's side and all her previous momentum was cancelled. She was launched towards the ground and bounced 2 times before coming to a stop.

The punch wasn't that hard or strong since Luna didn't even combine it with Disarming Voice but it still managed to put Fay to a stop.

Fay got up with a backwards roll, increasing the distance between herself and Luna.

I thought she was going to try something else but instead, she again activated Metal Claw and charged towards Luna with fury in her eyes.

Luna grinned as Fay stormed towards her, unconcerning and even mocking.

One second before Fay would hit Luna with her claws, Fay managed to surprise me.

The Aura Pokémon turned around her axile last moment and swiped left of her.

Luna, who had done the same thing at the same time, had a brief look of surprise on her face.

The shining claws met the shining fist and for a second both attacks stopped cold.

But Fate wasn't with the Riolu today, Luna's Mega Punch had move priority apparently because she again managed to punch Fay away.

And you might wonder what I was doing?

Well, I was just watching them fight it out.

If I were a better person or Pokémon trainer, I might have interfered but getting between these two, but right now that seemed to be a risky move.

Besides cowardice, I had several other good reasons.

Luna wasn't even going all out on Fay and stuck to waiting for Fay to do something.

I could also make some claims about Fay gaining battle experience this way or her learning to deal with loss.

In the end, I just stuck to watching, though I was making mental notes.

Metal Claw for example, could it work on Fay's foot as well or was it limited to her hands? Did it enhance the strength in her arms as well or only reinforce her nails?

Was it a forcefield or a super-strength power?

It was a pretty standard Brute type move, meaning it relied on melee battle style but it seemed decent enough, especially if she could learn how to properly use two claws instead of using one at a time whenever she attacked.

Fay got back on her feet again, and with a scream, she lunged towards Luna, this time leaping through the air with her claws retracted.

It was a good mix up but Luna was faster yet again.

A purple ray met Fay's path and she lost all her momentum, she fell to the ground with a painful sounding thud.

Fay spit out some saliva and glared at Luna. "Stop mocking me and fight!"

Luna accepted the challenge, she screamed and launched herself up in the air.

It confused the hell out of Fay who had never seen the Meteor Smash.

A fist began to glow as Luna fell down and Fay's eyes widened with shock.

Luna screamed as she came down, her eyes were narrowed and for once she genuinely looked upset about something.

It must have been terrifying for Fay, she covered herself with her arms and closed her eyes shut, bracing for the inevitable attack.

However, a moment before the attack would connect Fay began to glow.

A translucent layer covered her entire body, colors weaved in and out of the forcefield, not that Fay could see it.

She had her eyes shut and awaited the shining meteor.

Luna's fist struck Fay from above but instead of shattering the energy that covered her and hitting Fay she was stopped by it.

Fay's body shone even brighter and with a flash, Luna was thrown away from Fay.

As if hit by an invisible punch, Luna yelped out a cry while she was launched away from Fay.

The energy around Fay quickly faded away after that and Fay opened her eyes, confusion written all over her face.

She glanced between her paws, probably wondering what the fuck just happened.

And this was my cue to look like a responsible trainer.

"Well," I said out loud. "It seems that you have learned a new move. Just as I planned."

Luna got up to her feet and brushed off the dirt that had gotten onto her when she had been blasted away.

She smiled sheepishly at me, then turned to Fay and gave her a smug smile that screamed: Told you so.

Fay stared aghast at Luna, then at me, and then back to me and then back at Luna.

"You two planned this?" She asked hesitantly.

I didn't plan shit and I wondered if Luna had planned this far ahead.

I had told her about my theory that Pokémon performed better under stress but only once, did she remember that or was she looking for a fight anyway?

Well, time to wing it and pretend I knew what I was doing all along.

"Of course," I said, "It's not my preferred method but I thought this would work."

Fay's eyes shot towards Luna who confirmed my lie with a cheeky nod. {Confident}

Fay turned to face me. This time she didn't look to be annoyed with me, instead, there was something that came dangerously close to respect.

Luna gave me a secret wink from behind her back before walking towards me.

"So, that was Counter I assume?" Fay asked.

I nodded, "Not Quick Attack but still-"

"Every technique counts." Fay finished for me, She bowed her head slightly. "Thank you."

"No problem." I said.

If Luna is my Pokémon and it was her plan, then we share the credit because of association right?

I was about to say something but I was interrupted again, this time not by my Pokémon.

" _The DiScavenger program has found something that might be interesting, sir."_ Pokédex Lady suddenly announced.

I raised an eyebrow, "What is it?"

" _A C level threat in Seawave City, Johto, has turned into a B level threat."_

"Is there a Legendary involved?" I asked.

" _No,"_ Oracle answered.

I was about to tell her that I'm not interested but Pokédex lady wasn't done talking yet.

" _But a giant Pokémon has been spotted."_

* * *

**A/N Sorry for the late upload, I really had a big writer's block and writing down anything was pretty hard, especially since there's not a lot happening this chapter and I suck at slice of life.**

**So now I have two fanfics online but don't worry, this one will be my main focus.**

**Thank you all for sticking around again and I would ask you all to follow and kudo this story but I think most of you already are, I mean why else would you read 100 000 words about a guy only managing to get 2 Pokémon and 1 gym badge?**

**Anyway reviews are nice as always.**

**(Shoutout to the reviewers!)**

**-buterflypuss (Thanks)**

**-bg3929 (Definetly planned that metaphor, definetly did!)**

**Cya all later and stay alive you all.**

**-CaptainMoonShine-**


	40. Bleed the Water Red

**Chapter 40:**

**Bleed the Water Red**

* * *

DiScavenger was a program I had written on the laptop I bought in Jubilife City.

It had taken some time to build my own screen scraper but once I had figured out how this world's internet worked, it became easy.

The screen scraper would search for major news websites and message boards for certain keywords.

After finding anything useful the code would cross-reference it with other sites to determine its relevance.

It was fairly simple at first but then the entire list had to be filtered by Oracle who was advanced enough to determine what was garbage.

The Pokédex was programmed to send trainers important information in case of an emergency, it was fairly easy to change the source Oracle pulled all the messages from into a list made by the code I had written.

Originally, Oracle would just notify me if something important was happening nearby, for example, a dangerous Pokémon. Now, she filtered websites from all over the world, looking for something that might be interesting for me.

I didn't even need to learn the entirety of Oracle's code, instead, I changed some variables and that did the job.

Sadly, she couldn't access classified information from the league which could've helped me know more public information. This meant that rumors were also taken into the equation.

The list of keywords for searching news articles was quite long and depressing.

It contained the names of persons, Legendary Pokémon, and places.

Keeping track of the plotlines in this world was a nightmare, especially because there was no definite plot I could follow and keep track of.

Nope, potential futures and past threats from the game, the anime and whatever piece of media Pokémon had produced had to be considered as something that could ruin my day.

And those were only the things I knew about, this world also had its own problems I knew nothing about; Celebi's Forest, Snatchers, meteors going through dimensional rifts and people stuck in the bodies of Pokémon; this world had enough bullshit of its own.

And I'm not even getting paid for protecting the world from devastation.

Although I was not really protecting anything, I was more keeping track so I know which places I should definitely avoid.

For example, this morning there was a certain activist group in Unova holding a building hostage and demanded people freed their Pokémon even though Team Plasma shouldn't be around.

So here I was, like some kind of superhero keeping track of all the threats in this world.

Although I had no real idea how to actually deal with them if they were to become a real problem, I would probably find a way to give someone more capable than I am the information and flee as soon as possible.

Still, the fact that the DiScavenger program had found something Oracle deemed important enough to notify me was concerning.

"You sure you want to watch?" I asked both my companions.

{Yes} Luna said, leaning against me as if we were about to watch a movie.

"I'm not easy to scare." Fay said like I was challenging her.

It was getting a bit crowded inside the tent and I promised myself to buy a bigger tent once I reached Jubilife City.

Sitting outside was out of the question because the sun would make the screen glare.

I tapped the space bar on the keyboard and the live video began to play.

It was from the Johto Today website and they were live at the scene in Seawave City.

The sound of the helicopter blades blared through the speakers and I turned down the volume.

The video was shot from a helicopter and a woman was trying to give commentary but she was barely audible.

Seawave City was a big city with big skyscrapers sprouting from the street with white beaches and fancy looking palm trees.

Or I assumed that Seawave City would like that because right now it was a battlefield.

I don't know what you call a group of Gyarados, a swarm? A school?

Another appropriate name would be a bloodbath.

I couldn't see how many Gyarados there were but from the helicopter, it looked like a can of worms had been released into the city.

The entire shore of the city was flooded with murky, brown and slightly reddish water which allowed the Gyarados to literally swim through the streets, the water flooded at least a good mile into the city, drowning everything in its path.

Most skyscrapers that were too close to the sea had collapsed, either by the waves that continuously slammed into them or by the Hyper Beams the Gyarados were firing.

Entire city blocks were leveled, other parts were visibly buried into the ground by seismic attacks.

Gyarados was a very scary Pokémon on its own but with an entire swarm of them, they were a nightmare.

Whirlpools and tsunamis rose from the sea and crashed into the parts of the city that were not destroyed yet.

Among the destruction, there were small islands created by toppled skyscrapers and buildings that hadn't collapsed yet.

The Gyarados were rampaging through the city but not without any resistance.

People and Pokémon were fighting back, or at least they tried to.

Pokémon trainers had gathered on the small islands and were firing ranged attacks at the hostile Gyarados with their Pokémon.

Lances of light, lasers and psychic waves met the Gyarados and caused a lot of them to go under.

People flying on bird Pokémonm circled around them and tried to draw the Gyarados away from the vulnerable parts of the city, all the while they had to dodge the Hyper Beams that were thrown at them.

Bigger water Pokémon moved people and other Pokémon around to safer areas, evacuating those in need of help.

One would say it was amazing to see Pokémon and humans working together, but that would be a lie.

Because the people and Pokémon who tried to stop the rampage were losing.

There was no knight in shining armour who magically wished the monsters away or a protagonist who changed the tide with heroism.

The camera angle didn't provide me a lot of details but the overall picture was grim.

For every violent Gyarados, they managed to take down two more rose from the water to take its place.

Strategy wise the Gyarados should've been at a disadvantage because they were attacking from the sea.

But the people and Pokémon defending the city were clearly no match, they were scattered everywhere and the constant barrage of waves allowed the Gyarados to swim through the city and slither through the streets.

There seemed to be no coherent plan on either side, the Gyarados were bent on causing havoc and the defenders were trying to take down as many Gyarados as they could.

If I were in charge I would collapse a few skyscrapers to block off the streets that weren't flooded yet and create a kill zone.

The situation in Seawave City was definitely no joke or a children's show.

The people and Pokémon who tried to fight back were actually dying, and not in a heroic way either.

Tidal waves tore through the hasty defense lines people had managed to set up. The water was not clean seawater but instead, it was filled with glass, cars and big pieces of concrete that had been torn out from the buildings and turned the seawater into a meat grinder for whoever got swallowed by it.

Mangled bodies, both Pokémon and human, floated on the water, coloring it red.

Some Pokémon survived the initial wave but that didn't mean they were safe yet. There were water Pokémon like Tentacruel and Slowpoke who tried to rescue the ones that had fallen into the water.

Being in the water was risky, even for water Pokémon, the tidal waves constantly tried to slam them into other objects and buildings, turning them into a red splash on the wall.

People and Pokémon in the sky weren't safe either.

Friendly fire was off and people who tried to get close to the Gyarados in the water risked being hit by their own allies.

Buildings and huge skyscrapers collapsed around them and buried anyone who was unfortunate to be underneath it.

And whenever a Pokémon or trainer fell into the water, they were consumed by it.

Rain and thunder made flying a hell and the weather could change any second.

The helicopter allowed me to see multiple city blocks that had different weather systems, one was entirely frozen in ice with a blizzard in the sky while not even a block away there was a sandstorm razing through the streets.

"Where is this?" Fay asked, her eyes practically glued to the screen.

"Johto," I answered.

Luna held my right arm tight but she too kept watching.

This was the first B level threat since I arrived in this world, excluding the ones that already existed and hadn't been dealt with.

I had heard and read about them, city-level threats that were rare and only happened periodically.

You had of course smaller B level threats like the Snatchers had been but they were barely rated a B because they tended to create bigger problems that on their own could develop into a B level threat.

Hunter J, for example, was only an A level threat because she pisses off Legendaries on a regular basis, not because of her firepower.

But the situation in Seawave City was the first direct B level threat I had seen, yet I kept watching. I am a human after all and I can not look away from a train wreck.

I considered briefly if I should let my Pokémon see this.

Luna was mostly unfazed by it, she watched the video with more morbid curiosity but she didn't seem to be afraid, yeah she kept hugging my arm but I suspected that the video was an excuse and not the reason.

Fay herself was horrified by the situation in Johto, her eyes were wide and she was holding onto a pillow.

But maybe this could be something Fay needed, she wanted to kill Hunter J, maybe seeing the chaos a B level threat caused might put some perspective into that.

Still, there was one thing missing.

Oracle had marked this event as important because there was a giant Pokémon.

No matter how bad the situation in Seawave City seemed to be, situations like this were nothing out of the ordinary in the world of Pokémon.

As if the cameraman had heard my thoughts he changed the angle of the camera and panned out.

This time it showed the battle closer to the seashore.

"It's still unknown who or what caused the Gyarados to become this angry," the reporter cried out, "There has been no official response from the Johto League yet, besides raising the threat level and-"

The helicopter swayed and the woman screamed, underneath the helicopter a huge tidal wave had formed and headed towards the city and in the process almost catching the helicopter out of the air.

The helicopter stabilized and the woman tried to continue as if nothing had happened, "But it's clear that the situation is grim."

Talking about grim, the camera angle changed again and this time it focused on a much bigger Gyarados.

It had the size of a small skyscraper and it swam through the shoreline as if it was a big earthworm, slithering around torn down buildings or sometimes it swam straight through them, seemingly unhurt by the falling debris.

The Gyarados in question was 4 times bigger than a normal one and was glowing faintly red.

The giant Gyarados was angry, that much was clear.

It lashed out with its entire body, sending tidal waves everywhere and tearing through everything on its path.

The Gyarados itself also had a weird weather effect surrounding him, a red sky was above him and made it look the creature came from the depths of Tartarus.

"Impossible," I muttered, "What a joke."

The Gyarados opened its mouth and a huge laser tore through the skyline.

Except it was blocked by a light barrier that appeared in its path and shot the laser back.

This angered Gyarados even more.

A constant barrage of attacks surrounded the giant creature and it was clear that the most firepower available to the defenders had been put into stopping the big Gyarados.

People sitting on the backs of flying Pokémon swarmed around the creature, dragons and birds alike.

Even a few Ghost Pokémon floated in the air and tried to attack the Gyarados.

The fact that it was huge made it easier to hit but on the flip side, it was surrounded with water which the giant used to block attacks and move around quickly.

Gyarados was bit by the reflected Hyper Beam and went under and for a brief moment, it looked like it was down for good.

Then it flew straight up, like a Venus flytrap it snapped an unfortunate Pokémon trainer who rode on a Skarmory and swallowed both of them.

The people flying around it began attacking again.

The camera swayed and panned in on a certain individual.

It was a blue-haired woman riding on top of a Dragonite, her hair bound in a ponytail and swaying in the wind.

She and the Dragonite flew around the Gyarados and targeted the eyes with long-ranged attacks.

The Gyarados seemed to hate her more than the others because it lunged for the pair, its entire body flying out of the water as if it was made of paper instead of flesh and bones.

She didn't hesitate and dropped straight down with her Dragonite, narrowly avoiding the huge jaw, before pulling up and continuing their attack.

"News update," the female reporter shrieked from behind the camera.

She was cut off by a loud bang.

And when I say loud I mean ear-shattering.

The camera panned out and again focused on the city as a whole.

All the previous weather effects had disappeared and now all the clouds above the city were turning black and suddenly the city was covered in a thick, black blanket that blocked most of the sunlight.

Lightning arced through the sky everywhere and the black clouds in the city began to swirl around each other in a tornado-like fashion.

All the clouds and lightning seem to connect above the giant serpent.

Lightning coiled around it in the air and over the water, skipping over the surface but strangely not getting consumed by it.

I thought that it was Gyarados' doing but the giant itself was also surprised by this new development.

The swirling tornado in the sky began to form into a wind funnel and all the water in the city began to swirl too, as if the entire city had become the middle of a huge tornado.

The clouds in the middle of the vortex parted and the light shone through, forming an almost angelic beam from the sky.

In the middle of the beam, a large creature was revealed, it descended down from above the clouds and slowly hovered down to fly above the giant Pokémon.

It was white and big, definitely big. The creature didn't look like anything I've ever seen on my earth, the closest thing would be a dinosaur.

It folded its two big white wings outward, like an angel displaying her wings and managed to keep hovering in the air.

Lightning kept flashing through the air and rain disturbed the sight yet it was pretty clear who had arrived.

I couldn't make out the expression but the body language revealed one thing; it was pissed.

The electricity that had gathered from all over the city started to make its way towards the flying dragon and gathered around the white wings.

"What is that?" Fay asked.

"Lugia," I answered, my own eyes practically glued to the screen.

Gyarados didn't like the newcomer and opened its mouth, a multicolored beam the size of a skyscraper shot out of its mouth towards the flying Legendary.

Lugia slammed its wings forward and all the electricity around it shot towards Gyarados.

The electricity transformed into something comparable to a spear as it left Lugia's wings and headed towards the giant serpent.

The Hyper Beam didn't even delay the attack, the spear ripped through it like it was made of paper, Gyarados didn't even have the chance to look surprised.

The spear hit it in the head and flew straight through it with a loud crackling sound.

It exploded into a red mist that could've been blood but I suspected it was something entirely different.

The giant stopped moving and dropped dead in the water.

A silence followed a figurative calm before the storm.

The hostile, smaller Gyarados had stopped their rampage and stared at the sky.

People and Pokémon alike were captivated by the looming Legendary that hovered above the city.

Lugia surveyed the flooded city underneath it without moving from the spot.

Now the fighting had stopped the damage was visible.

Parts of the city had frozen and were covered while other parts were on fire.

The roads that weren't flooded had cracks in them, visibly displaying parts of the city that had sunken into the ground due to seismic attacks.

The parts that had been flooded looked like they were part of the sea with islands sticking out made of buildings and piled up rubbish.

Lugia raised its head upwards towards the sky and let out a howl that roared over the city like a tidal wave of sound.

The water in the city began to stir, though it wasn't the Gyarados' doing this time. Everywhere water began to retreat to the original shoreline, taking cars and mangled bodies with it.

The Gyarados who had been fighting were dragged into the water with whirlpools that began to form around them.

They tried to flee the retreating tidal wave but failed.

The tidal wave reached the height of Lugia and swept over the city and took everything with it, revealing the dry ruins of the city underneath it.

Some buildings had come out unscratched, a gas station seemed to be totally intact. Other buildings, like a city mall, were completely torn apart.

The tidal waves were harmful to the Gyarados but left the humans and Pokémon unharmed, creating gaps wherever needed to keep them out of harm's way.

The sea finally returned to the original shoreline and Lugia let out a second cry.

The water in the sea began to twist and formed a whirlpool the size of a football field.

Lugia dove forward and flew towards the whirlpool; ignoring the city underneath it.

And then it was gone.

The woman behind the camera managed to find her voice after a full 10 seconds of silence.

"A-and it seems that Lugia has left the scene." She finally spoke.

I stopped the video and closed the laptop, deciding that I had seen everything I needed.

A more detailed report would be released later probably with more information, though I was already glad I had seen Lugia in action.

"What is Lugia?" Fay asked incredulously when her brain had processed the video had stopped.

{Who?} Luna asked.

"A Legendary Pokémon." I answered with awe, "Guardian of the seas, if I'm correct."

Lugia was the first Legendary I had seen in action and my mind was still processing what I had just witnessed.

I began to understand why some people in this world thought of them as gods.

They weren't like the lvl 50 ones in the game that a 10 year old could catch.

True my sample size was small but from what I've gathered Legendary Pokémon were truly godlike power-wise.

It shouldn't have amazed me like that but it did and Lugia was only the tip of the Legendary iceberg. Lugia hadn't even battled, only swatted aside the annoying fly that was Gyarados.

And that was only Lugia, what about the other Legendaries?

I read that Victini had destroyed an entire country long ago, I had disregarded it as a myth; I had seen the anime after all.

But it might have been true.

Legendaries in this world were nothing like the ones in the games or anime.

And one of them had brought me here in this world.

It was concerning if Legendary Pokémon were this strong then what could be the reason they needed me? An unpowered human from earth?

What was Fate's gameplan?

* * *

**A/N I sometimes see those fanfics about the main cast reacting to a show or movie and I thought, why not try it myself?**

**So yeah, here's a light slice of life chapter with a bit of humor and shiz.**

**Thank you all for 1000 followers! I would lie if I said that I never expected this but still, thank you all for following and reading this story. Without you all I wouldn't have gotten this far at all.**

**Anyway, please leave your thoughts in the review, I am curious to see what you all think about this chapter.**

**(Shoutout to the awesome reviewers!)**

**-bg3929 (I find myself struggeling with that problem as well. Writers just introduce a lot of Pokémon at the same time and I can't remember whos who after a day)**

**-buterflypuss (thanks)**

**Cya all later!**

**-CaptainMoonShine-**


	41. Ninja

**Chapter 41:**

**Ninja**

* * *

"So try from the feet." I urged.

Fay rolled her eyes but she complied nonetheless.

She closed her eyes to focus and steadied her breathing.

Her two paws were crossed in front of her chest like a pharaoh lying in a tomb.

Shining white claws formed on her hands.

They were short but looked to be really sharp, I hadn't dared to touch them because I saw her making deep scratches with her claws into solid stone.

The metal claws weren't real metal which was a small relief, it would be hella creepy to find out that the small Riolu had Adamantium blades in her arms.

What her metal claws were made of still remained a mystery, it could be solidified energy or a hard light construct?

Whatever it was, activating them and keeping them up wasn't really energy expensive and could be used without worrying about draining Fay.

Metal Claw was relatively simple which meant I had to find ways to break it.

After a lot of trial and error, we decided that Fay could not adjust the size of her claws.

"Ugh, it's not working.' Fay muttered tiredly.

"Keep trying please." I insisted.

{Yes} Luna sent through telepathically, trying to help.

She was drinking apple juice through a straw while sitting on a big boulder. Red eyes were focused on the Riolu.

Wind swept through the grass and the howling created a mysterious song.

A stone structure that looked like a pillar with holes in it stood on the top of the hill. The wind flowed through the holes creating a hollow-sounding song.

It stood defiantly in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by grass plains with no one except us to listen to it.

I had decided to take a different route to Jubilife City, mostly because I don't want to see the same trees again and I came across this weird-music making rock.

I thought the strange pillar already looked neat but the song also had a function, supposedly.

According to the text written on the pillar, it was put there by an Aura Guardian long ago. The song would keep out a ghost Pokémon who, 'Swallowed the land.' whatever that's supposed to mean.

So we settled down here for multiple reasons.

Fay felt this place was infused with positive Aura and I theorized it might improve my own broken Aura.

I don't know how Aura works and it was only a faint hope. Perhaps it was like a phone in need of charging or maybe my Aura's condition was set in stone. This world's findings on Aura were again classified by the League which was starting to form an annoying pattern.

The second reason for coming here was the ghost Pokémon.

I would love to meet it, assuming, of course, it actually exists.

And no, I'm not crazy. Ghost Pokémon are actually smart and could be argued with and I was like 99% sure that whatever Pokémon supposedly haunted these lands was to some extent passive, of course, that was assuming it was even real.

There had been no-kill orders in this area so meeting it would be safe to some degree and perhaps I could convince it to join me, after all, Ghost Pokémon were pretty lonely.

So far though, no Pokémon had made themselves known.

Perhaps said Pokémon was far gone or maybe it only appeared after sunset.

We still had a few hours of sunlight to burn so that might have been the case.

Fay gasped and I brought my attention to the small Riolu again.

She was covered in sweat, training today had been exhausting but she herself insisted to keep going.

Luna had also trained a lot, although not physically but mentally and eventually she passed out.

Because it turns out, trying to teleport a boulder from Oreburgh City to this place could make a psychic pass out.

She didn't have enough energy to teleport it back but personally, I wasn't too worried about that.

Roark could probably do with one boulder less.

Fay opened her eyes and witnessed three glowing claws sticking out of her feet.

She hesitantly moved around, testing her balance with visible awe on her face.

Honestly, it had been a wild guess if she could do it from her feet and not only from her hands but my curiosity bore fruit.

She experimentally kicked the air in front of her, it was definitely cute, but I resisted the urge to hug the small Pokémon, she wouldn't appreciate it anyway.

"So it does work." I mused.

Luna and I watched how Fay managed to walk with 2 extra sets of claws.

The ones at her feet dug into the earth and I theorized that if she ran fast enough she could probably cut the grass.

Now I finally know what Metal Claw could and couldn't do, so I began to think up potential strategies and attack patterns.

Most people saw Metal Claw as just another attack in the move pool but I wanted it to become something more.

Yeah, of course I was waiting for the Aura Pokémon to actually manipulate Aura but that doesn't mean other attacks should be abandoned in pursuit of the stronger attacks.

For example, Metal Claw was a quick move that had a weird property I discovered only after a few spars between Luna and Fay.

Metal Claw could stunlock an opponent for a brief moment which allowed Fay to do a second follow up attack but if she put more force into the Metal Claw the properties changed and it could be used as a 'get out of my face' attack which knocked her opponent away from her.

It was a subtle detail that even Fay didn't notice until I pointed it out.

Having gathered all the data I began to think about how Fay should fight.

All her spars with Luna the psychic had to be held back and refrained from using more power full combos.

Though that was not to say Fay was weak, her Metal Claw did have an impact on Luna.

"Fay," I said, "I think I figured it out."

"You did?" Fay asked hopefully with a slight hint of desperation in her voice.

After she had seen the power Lugia displayed she had become more determined to get stronger.

But seeing Lugia's power also made Fay realize that she had a long way to go and she became disappointed with herself, believing she was weak and she would never complete her life goal of killing Hunter J.

This put me in this awkward position of either supporting Fay and telling her that with enough training and friendship magic she could murder Hunter J, if only she believes in herself.

Or I could tell her that it was unlikely that she could ever kill Hunter J and that she should stop obsessing over it and face reality.

I considered myself a rationalist but telling Fay the odds might put her into a depression and maybe she'll project the anger aimed at Hunter J towards me, the messengers.

There was no obvious 'right' answer, or atleast one I could see. I am not at all qualified for raising a child, let alone a Pokémon with the mindset of a traumatized child with an obsessive coping mechanism.

In the end I decided to be a supportive person and told her shiz like: we figure it out together. It made me feel like I was a liar so that was at least familiar territory.

Although I really do want to help Fay, just not with a suicide quest.

Fay took a step towards me as I leaped from the big boulder. I opened my backpack and took out my laptop.

The grass was really comfy so I sat down and took the laptop in my lap.

Luna snuggled beside me, eating away at a bag of chips, she offered me the bag and I took out a handful, making sure I didn't spill on the keyboard.

Fay sat down on my right, Luna offered her the bag as well but Fay politely refused.

{Tasty} The white psychic shrugged.

"Okay," I began, "So first remember that this is our current strategy and that along with your development your fighting style will change."

Fay nodded, "Yes, the measure of intelligence is the ability to change, you said."

I blinked, I didn't remember saying that specific quote, I said a lot of bullshit but Fay apparently remembered it.

"Fay, I personally think that a rush down- close combat fighting style would fit you."

"A what?" Fay asked, perplexed.

{Brute, Mover} Luna supplied.

"Like a ninja," I tried to explain.

"What is a ninja?" Fay asked.

Ralts dropped her bag of chips and stood straight, she kicked the air in front of her and did a pretty ninja-like kick.

She sat down and gave us a smug smile and took a potato chip.

Seeing Fay's incredulous stare Luna obviously failed to convey the definition of a ninja.

I sighed, "You should focus on being a quick hitter, getting close to an opponent. Be right in their face and weave through their defenses. Play aggressive and keep up the pace, force them into making stupid decisions."

I pointed at Luna, "She plays very defensive, baits out an attack and punishes it accordingly with an entire combo once she finds an opening."

Luna grinned evilly.

"You should be the opposite of that, play aggressive but don't commit to any risky moves, instead try to stack up damage and dodge incoming attacks."

Multiple examples came up in my mind, X-23 from the X-Men, Ty Lee from Avatar or Sheik from Smash.

Going up close would force a lot of opponent's to rely on physical combat and Fay's Counter was a perfect...well counter for physical attacks.

"That actually does sound really good." Fay nodded reluctantly.

I smiled, "So I think we should look into martial arts, or to be precise ninjutsu."

"What?" Fay asked again.

"It's a martial art based on dancing around your opponent and wearing them down with quick jabs and attacks."

I opened a tab on my laptop and a website popped up. "I found an online course for learning ninjutsu, it's designed for humans but I think you could use it to form a basis."

It was made by a Gym leader in Galar, dunno the name but apparently she was quite famous for mastering multiple martial arts. The course had cost me quite a penny but it would definitely be worth it.

Finding this course had taken me quite some time and I was definitely proud of myself.

Fay turned her head to me and gave me a slight bow, "Thank you for doing this."

Progress!

"No problem," I smiled, "Just remember that you're not alone in this world."

"I will."

* * *

The stars in the sky were shining brighter than ever, there was basically zero light pollution around here and I made an attempt to count the stars.

I had discovered long ago that this world and my own did not share the same constellations which made me wonder why it was that way?

Was it Pokémon influence or was I x years in the future/past which would mean this place had different constellations?

The chilly wind played a howling song that made me feel like I was in Hyrule and not in Sinnoh. The stars blinked happily in the sky, no land swallowing Pokémon had made itself known yet.

Honestly I wasn't expecting too much anyway.

It was a pretty good spot to chill anyway, as magical as this world could get.

The boulder wasn't too bad to sit on either.

Luna sat besides me, leaning against me and yawning though she tried to fight it.

I took another sip from my drink.

Still no magical monsters.

Fay was quietly sleeping in the tent. She had gotten too tired from the training all day and fell asleep directly after dinner.

"You want to know something fun?" I asked.

{What?} Luna yawned while sending the message.

"Today I'm officially a month in this world." I announced.

"Ralts?" She asked, she closed her eyes and I presumed she began trying to count the days.

I patiently waited for her to finish but to my surprise she began snoring after 10 seconds.

She fell over and I caught her with my hand before she could tumble off the boulder.

I put her on my lap and she curled up to a ball, she tugged a thumb in her mouth and a sheepish smile formed on her face.

Patting her on the head I took another sip from the bottle.

It tasted absolutely disgusting, too bitter and not enough substance but for some reason people still drink it.

I had never done alcohol in my old world despite being legally allowed to. I was just not that interested and considered it a waste of money.

But right now I could use some distractions.

I felt fuzzy inside but I was not sure it was due to me getting drunk or the almost hypnotizing song or just plain old tiredness.

But I figured that I deserved to be drunk tonight, after all I had survived an entire month in this world, starting from zero with only a Ralts.

Staying alive was definitely not as easy as it sounds, for some reason I got into a lot of trouble without even trying.

Knowing Fate I would keep getting into trouble so I should at least try everything before my luck runs out.

I spit out the drink, it still tasted like garbage.

Then I took another sip.

No Pokémon made themselves known that night.

Only a horrible headache in the morning.

* * *

**A/N It's crazy how a 3,5K chapter about a city getting wrecked is being done in 2 days but a 2K chapter with conversation takes much longer to write.**

**Anyway, thank you all for reading and you know the drill, review, favorite and follow!**

**(Shoutout to the awesome reviewers!)**

**-buterflypuss**

**-bg3929 (No problem and glad you enjoy it. Also, people in the Pokémon world are made of rocks.)**

**Well, Cya all later!**

**-CaptainMoonShine-**


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